Amy Yakola serves as Chief Communications Officer for the Atlantic Coast Conference and is the second-longest-tenured member of the Conference staff.
Throughout her ACC career, Yakola has helped lead communications efforts during significant periods of growth and transformation, including four expansions that grew the Conference from nine institutions in six states to 18 institutions in 12 states. She also helped guide the relocation of the conference office to Charlotte and the 2019 launch of ACC Network, the 24/7 national network dedicated to ACC sports through the league’s partnership with ESPN.
As Chief Communications Officer, Yakola oversees the ACC’s communications, public relations and promotional efforts and serves as a Conference spokesperson when appropriate. She leads communications strategy in support of the ACC, its student-athletes, member institutions, sponsored sports, championships and events. Her work has included the launch of the Conference’s “Accomplish Greatness” brand campaign, which highlights the ACC’s achievements in athletics, academics and beyond. She also serves as the conference office liaison to the league’s development directors.
Yakola was named to Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 in 2016. In 2024, she was inducted into the College Sports Communicators Hall of Fame and received the organization’s Arch Award. A longtime member of College Sports Communicators, she previously served on its Board of Directors.
She is a member of the Corrigan-Faircloth Chapter of the National Football Foundation and previously chaired the Chapter Council for the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame. Since the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship, Yakola has moderated the event’s principal press conferences. Earlier in her career, she served on the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Media Coordination Committee and moderated press conferences at multiple NCAA Women’s Final Fours.
A graduate of Clemson University, Yakola earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics Teaching before beginning her ACC career. A native of Saline, Michigan, she was inducted into the Saline Area Schools Hall of Fame in 2022. Yakola and her husband, Scott, reside in Mebane, North Carolina, with their daughter, Allender, and son, Holden.