MARK ROMIG, NEW ORLEANS & COMPANY
A native New Orleanian, Mark is the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of New Orleans & Company, the New Orleans tourism industry’s destination marketing and sales organization.
His public relations career has spanned more than four decades and has taken him from teaching in college classrooms to the 1984 Louisiana World’s Fair, from working as a Staff Assistant to U.S. Dept. of Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole during President Ronald Reagan’s administration, and the 1987-88 presidential campaign of U.S. Senator Bob Dole, to corporate and non-profit public relations and marketing counseling.
In 2013 Mark became the Stadium Announcer for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, succeeding his father, Jerry (who served in the same role for 446 consecutive Saints home games over 44 years). Mark is also a member of the Board of Directors of Fidelity Bank, headquartered in New Orleans.
Active in his community, Mark served as the appointed volunteer President and CEO of the 2018 NOLA Foundation, the organization responsible for organizing the City of New Orleans’ Tricentennial celebration in 2018. He is also working in several other volunteer roles, including past Chairman of the Board for the Louisiana Travel Association. Among his community activities, Mark is a member of the Board of Directors of the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, WYES-TV (Vice-Chair), Fore!Kids Foundation (Vice-Chair) and Methodist Health System Foundation. He also serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Travel and Tourism Advisory Council and as an advisor to the Louisiana Hospitality Foundation. Mark is past President of the Board of Directors for the Parking Facilities Corporation (PFC), the non-profit organization which operates the long term and economy parking garages at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
JAY CLARK, HEAD COACH OF LSU'S GYMNASTICS PROGRAM
Jay Clark is entering his fourth season as the head coach of the LSU gymnastics program and continues to bring the program to new heights. In only his third season, Clark led the Tigers to a final four appearance for the first time under his tenure in 2023.
This year, Clark and LSU marked the program’s 32nd appearance in the NCAA Gymnastics Championship and ninth appearance in the finals. During the regular season, Clark guided the Tigers to top-10 finishes on all four events as LSU placed No. 3 on vault, No. 3 on floor, No. 9 on bars and No. 10 on beam.
With three postseason appearances under his belt, Clark hopes to continue to grow the LSU Gymnastics program within the Baton Rouge community. In 2023, the Tigers broke season ticket records with over 7,4000 sold and recorded the highest average attendance in the SEC with an average of 12,075 fans through five home meets.
In his first season as the leader of the program in 2020, Clark led the squad to the program’s 31st NCAA Championships appearance. He has now reached the postseason in all three years as head coach, including two championship appearances and one regional appearance.
Clark, a 31-year veteran of college gymnastics, is now in his 12th season overall at LSU since his hiring as the Tigers’ associate head coach in 2012. As the Tigers associate head coach for eight seasons and co-head coach for one, his leadership and expertise has helped bring unprecedented visibility to the program and success on the recruiting trail and in the gym.
In the gym, Clark primarily coaches uneven bars, but oversees all events. He is viewed as one of the top bars coaches in collegiate gymnastics history. He has coached the Tigers to 38 All-America honors on bars, four of the five highest bars team scores in school history, the top two bars title winners in program history, and in total nine NCAA bars champions. LSU’s bars lineup has finished amongst the top-10 squads in the nation 10 times, including the No. 1 team in 2018.
LSU has earned the best performances in school history since Clark’s arrival. These include NCAA Runner-Up in 2016, 2017 and 2019, 10 appearances in the NCAA Championship, eight NCAA individual national champions, four SEC Championships and numerous school records.
JUSTIN VINCENT, TIGER ATHLETIC FOUNDATION
One of the most popular figures in LSU Football history, Justin Vincent’s two-game performance at the end of the 2003 season will be remembered by Tiger fans for generations to come. Becoming the first player to ever top 200 yards in an SEC Championship Game, Vincent ran for 201 yards against Georgia, including an 87-yard run (longest in SECCG history), earning the freshman MVP honors and propelling the Tigers to an SEC title and the program’s first National Championship Game appearance in 45 years. Underdog LSU faced Oklahoma in the championship game, and Vincent picked up right where he’d left off against Georgia. He ripped off a 64-yard run on the first play from scrimmage and later added a 16-yard touchdown to go along with 117 yards rushing against the nation’s top-rated defense. His iconic performance vaulted LSU to its second national championship, the first since 1958, and earned Vincent MVP honors for the second time in as many games.
At LSU, Vincent finished his career rushing for 2,021 yards and 17 touchdowns, highlighted by a 1,001-yard freshman campaign, in which he scored 10 touchdowns. A knee injury derailed his sophomore season and Vincent continued to battle its effects the remainder of his career at LSU.
When his college days were done, Vincent tested the waters of the National Football League and landed on the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad. It wasn’t long before he caught the eye of Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin and Vincent soon earned a spot on Pittsburgh’s roster for the next three seasons. He was a member of the 2008 Steelers team that defeated Arizona 27-23 capturing Super Bowl XLIII.
When his playing career was over, Vincent returned to Baton Rouge and worked in the LSU Athletic Department. He also worked two seasons as the co-host of Louisiana Sunday Kickoff TV Show. In May 2012, he re-joined the LSU Football program as the Assistant Director of Player Personnel and Director of Player Development, a position he held until the spring of 2016.
Today, Vincent is the Director of Athletic Alumni Engagement for the Tiger Athletic Foundation.
- Co-Host of LSU Football postgame radio on 104.5 ESPN with Charlie Hanigrif
- LSU Libraries Dean’s Advisory Council
- Children’s Miracle Network
- LSU’s Name, Image and Likeness Board
RYAN SCHIMPF, CROSSCOUNTRY MORTGAGE
Ryan Schimpf is a Louisiana native from Covington, Louisiana. He fulfilled his lifelong dream of playing baseball for the LSU Tigers from 2007-2009 and won a National Championship in 2009.
Ryan was a talented, hard-working player who enjoyed an excellent 2009 season earning second-team All-SEC honors while being named Hitter of the Year in the State of Louisiana. He received 2008 and 2009 SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition and completed his LSU baseball career ranked No. 7 on the all-time LSU triples list with seven, and No. 10 in LSU annals with 38 home runs.
Ryan signed with the Toronto Blue Jays in July 2009 after he was selected in the fifth round of the MLB Draft. He played in the Toronto Blue Jays organization until 2015, before being traded to the San Diego Padres where he made his Major League debut on June 14, 2016. He hit 20 homeruns in his rookie season and was named July Rookie of the Month.
An interesting fact is that Ryan is one of four players in MLB history to hit more home runs than singles in a season. He moved over 30 times in his 10-year professional baseball career! Throughout his moves, Ryan began taking an interest in real estate. The climb to the top of professional sports brings adversity, commitment, and tremendous work ethic. He is taking these learned experiences and team mentality to the mortgage industry to help his clients achieve their financial and home ownership goals.
Ryan and his wife, Felicia, live in Covington with their three beautiful children. You can connect with Ryan through Facebook, Twitter @Ryan_Schimpf and Instagram @_ryan_schimpf_.