Impact

As Cubs reach World Series, one alumna enjoys 'dream job' with the organization

Alyson Cohen, second from the right, works as a public relations coordinator for the Chicago Cubs. Here, she is pictured with the organization's social team.  Credit: Chicago CubsAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — It wasn’t long ago that one Penn State student was sitting in a John Curley Center for Sports Journalism course at University Park and her professor asked her where she saw herself after graduation.

“I said I wanted to work in PR for a Major League Baseball team,” said Alyson Cohen, a 2011 journalism alumna. “It’s pretty cool that I now help coordinate and manage PR opportunities for the (Chicago) Cubs, especially during this time.”

Cohen is a public relations coordinator for the Cubs, which are set to take on the Cleveland Indians in the World Series. According to Cohen, the Cubs front office is a little different than some other MLB teams, with two presidents, one for business and one for baseball. Cohen works on the business side, handling requests and facilitating media opportunities for executives, Wrigley Field employees, season ticket holders, fans and also coordinating community events, including charity events and events for the players’ foundations. In addition, Cohen works with the social media team for community-related posts and works on the team’s integrated marketing communications team, helping to brand the team’s “Fly the W” postseason campaign.

A perk of her gig? Once the game starts, she can enjoy it as a fan. She has tickets to every postseason home game, and watches them with friends, family or coworkers. When the team is on the road, she and her coworkers usually get together to cheer on the Cubs.

“It’s great to be able to work and lend a helping hand when I can, especially leading up to game time, but then once I can relax and be a fan like everyone else, it really makes the opportunity that much more special,” she said.

Cohen said the best part about her job is being able to meet so many different people. She particularly enjoys being a part of changing someone’s life.

“Some of the best stories that I’ve done are just learning about our fans who have had challenges and have overcome them, maybe because they are Cubs fans or because they look up to one of our players that, like Anthony Rizzo and Jon Lester both had cancer, and so they found inspiration in them. That’s really rewarding to be able to be a part of someone’s life in a way that changed it or made them feel special.”

Special is also a good word to describe the Cubs’ season. Cohen, who grew up a Boston Red Sox fan, knows all about curses. Call it a coincidence, but there’s an argument to be made that Cohen is the Cubs’ good luck charm, or at least she arrived in town at just the right time. She joined the organization about halfway through the 2014 season. That year, the Cubs finished with a 73-89 record. Since, the team has made the National League Champion Series in each of her first two full seasons on staff, and in 2016 has had its first 100-win season since 1935. The Cubs have also reached the World Series for the firs time since 1945.

Her path to the Cubs included a wealth of experience in sports. While in college, she completed internships with CBS Sports, the Florida Panthers, the Boston Celtics, Penn State Athletics and the State College Spikes. She also held positions with the Red Sox and the Boston Bruins following graduation. One of her connections, who she met from all of her experience knew someone with the Cubs, and helped her get the job in Chicago.

“I made sure I took total advantage of what I could do in sports,” Cohen said. “And just connecting with alumni and what not to be able to get those experiences. That meant a lot to be able to show that I’ve done this. It just helped me to get to the career I’m in today.”

That career, which she calls the “dream job,” has Cohen and the rest of the Cubs organization hoping for a World Series championship as the season winds down.

“It has been super exciting since I started. There is a lot of excitement throughout the city. The fans are amazing. It’s just fun to be a part of it and be a part of something that could be pretty historic,” she said.

“It’s just something that was with our team from the beginning and they were able to capitalize on having a really good core group of guys that were playing really well. We kind of went into this season thinking this is going to be a great one and it just so happened that that’s what it was.”

Alyson Cohen Credit: Chicago CubsAll Rights Reserved.

Last Updated June 2, 2021