ESPN veteran Josh Krulewitz has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Communications, the company announced on Tuesday.
Krulewitz will take over the leadership of ESPN’s Communications department starting Dec. 31.
The 32-year ESPN veteran will be taking over the role from Chris LaPlaca, who is retiring at the end of the year after serving as the head of Communications since 2008. LaPlaca has been with ESPN for over 43 years.
In his new position, Krulewitz will report directly to ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro and Kristina Schake, Chief Communications Officer at parent company Disney.
“Josh is a dynamic, collaborative, and strategic communications leader,” Pitaro said in a statement. “I’ve worked closely with Josh for many years and have benefitted from his excellent advice during many challenging situations. I have seen him cultivate countless relationships with media and ESPN colleagues over the years, all of which will benefit him and all of us as we continue to navigate through a complex sports media environment.”
“This one-of-a-kind role leading the world-class ESPN Communications team comes with extraordinary responsibility,” Krulewitz added. “It’s quite an honor to be trusted to represent the elite ESPN brand, collaborate with Disney, and to work alongside the most talented and dedicated colleagues around.”
Krulewitz first joined ESPN as an intern in 1990 while at the University of Connecticut. He took on various publicist roles after graduating and moved up the ranks with several promotions before becoming Vice President in 2006.