Las Vegas (January 24, 2018)— Las Vegas Aces President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Bill Laimbeer announced today the hiring of three members of the Aces’ front office staff: Assistant General Manager Laura Ramus, Director of Business Operations LaTonya Holley, and Director of Media Relations John Maxwell.
“One of our goals is to make the Las Vegas Aces not just the premier team in the WNBA, but the premier franchise,” explained Laimbeer. “The franchise begins with the front office. Our initial three hires have more than 40 years of experience in the WNBA, and even more in their respective fields at the collegiate and professional level.
“The team will make additional announcements about front office personnel and assistant coaching hires in the coming months as it prepares to tip off its inaugural season in mid- to late-May.”
Assistant General Manager Laura Ramus
Laura Ramus brings 16 years of WNBA experience to the Aces: four years with the New York Liberty (2013-15) asthe team’s director of player performance, and 12 years with the Detroit Shock (1998-2009) as head athletic trainer and strength coach, where the team captured three WNBA Championships.
Ramus, PT, ATC received a BS in physical therapy from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan in 1987. She completed a fellowship in sports medicine through the University of North Carolina and Health South Rehabilitation Corporation, receiving her certification as an Athletic Trainer in 1990. During this fellowship she trained under prominent orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews.
Ramus has nearly 30 years of experience treating orthopedic/sports medicine injuries in professional, collegiate, high school and amateur athletes. She was an Athletic Trainer for both the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and the 1994 United States Paralympic swim team.
The Michigan native has worked for the Detroit Medical Center Sports Performance Academy, where some of her athletes included NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball players, as well as the Women’s Tennis Association.
She also is the founder and president of Girls Can JUMP, Inc., a company dedicated to reducing ACL injuries in female athletes, and recently served on the Medical Advisory Board for Blue Prints for Athletes.
Director of Business Operations LaTonya Holley
LaTonya Holley is a 17-year veteran of the WNBA having worked most recently for the San Antonio Stars as the team’s athletic trainer and director of business operations. She joined the Stars in 2006 after five years in a variety of capacities with the Charlotte Sting.
Holley has worked as an athletic trainer at Temple and as a performance enhancement instructor in New Jersey. Prior to joining the WNBA, Holley was an assistant athletic trainer at Winthrop University. She spent the 2012-13 offseason in Russia working with the Spartak V MR basketball team that employed WNBA players Becky Hammon, Seimone Augustus and Candice Dupree. She also served as head athletic trainer for Russia’s CSKA Moscow during the 2008-09 off-season.
A native of Rock Hill, South Carolina, Holley earned her bachelor’s degree in sports medicine from St. Andrew’s Presbyterian College where she played softball and basketball before graduating in 1997.
Director of Media Relations John Maxwell
John Maxwell returns to the WNBA after 10 years overseeing the athletics media relations department at the University of California, Riverside. Prior to making his way to the Inland Empire, he led the media relations efforts for three seasons with the Detroit Shock (2005-07), two years at the WNBA League Office in New York (2003-04), and five years with the Charlotte Sting (1998-2002).
A 1990 graduate of Davidson College, Maxwell worked in the Wildcats’ sports information department for five years, before venturing into the graphic design field. The New York City native also spent time working at the Salisbury Post Newspaper in Salisbury, North Carolina.
The Las Vegas Aces tip off its first season of WNBA competition at Mandalay Bay Events Center this May. Season ticket deposits are being accepted online through early February, with flex plans, group tickets and individual ticket purchasing opportunities to follow. For additional information about the Aces please visit aces.WNBA.com or follow on social media via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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