Brandon Hays named Associate Athletic Director of External Operations
9/1/2021 2:55:00 PM | General
DAYTON - Wright State Director of Athletics Bob Grant announced the addition of Brandon Hays as the new Associate Athletic Director of External Operations on Wednesday. Hays rejoins the Wright State staff after previously working with the athletic department from 2012-2015.
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Hays returns to Wright State after serving as the Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing, Promotions and Tickets at fellow Horizon League member Northern Kentucky since September 2015.
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"We are excited to welcome Brandon and his family back to our Raider Family," Director of Athletics Bob Grant said. "His reputation nationally and within our league is very strong. He will be a valuable addition to our leadership team."
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"I'm so thankful to Bob Grant and his team for giving me the opportunity to rejoin the Raider Family. I can't wait to serve the awesome student-athletes we have at Wright State, and I'm excited to meet and reconnect with our donors, corporate partners, and fans to share our story and continue moving forward. Wright State is a special place with a unique culture and I'm honored to be a part of it again."
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While at Northern Kentucky, Hays coordinated the efforts to market NKU's 17 NCAA Division I athletics programs and oversaw all aspects of ticketing for men's and women's basketball, volleyball and men's and women's soccer. Under his direction, men's basketball attendance grew 79 percent and annual ticket revenue for both basketball programs tripled. Over his six seasons at NKU, men's basketball season tickets grew from 519 to 1,411, and average student attendance increased by 50 percent.
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Hays first was a part of the Raider Family from 2012-2015 as the Assistant Director of Marketing, where he was deeply involved in all facets of the promotion of Wright State Athletics. In the summer of 2014, he took over additional duties as the department's Sales Manager, handling all sponsorship accounts for both athletics and the Nutter Center.
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His experience also includes a stint at Memphis, beginning in June 2007, when he was hired as a marketing graduate assistant. As a graduate assistant, he primarily worked with the women's basketball and soccer programs. Hays, promoted to the director of marketing and promotions in 2009, was responsible for developing a comprehensive marketing and advertising plan for all sports, coordinating in-game promotions, and planning special events such as the FanFest for football and Memphis Madness for basketball. He also served as a liaison with Tiger Sports Properties, the multimedia rights holder for Tiger Athletics.
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A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Hays also worked as a student assistant in the marketing department at the University of Tennessee and served as an account executive with the Knoxville Ice Bears from October 2006 to May 2007. Hays holds a bachelor's degree in sport management from Tennessee in 2007, as well as a master's degree from Memphis in 2009.
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Hays, his wife Cathy, and their two boys Lincoln (3) and Austin (4 mos.) reside in Lebanon.
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Hays returns to Wright State after serving as the Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing, Promotions and Tickets at fellow Horizon League member Northern Kentucky since September 2015.
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"We are excited to welcome Brandon and his family back to our Raider Family," Director of Athletics Bob Grant said. "His reputation nationally and within our league is very strong. He will be a valuable addition to our leadership team."
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"I'm so thankful to Bob Grant and his team for giving me the opportunity to rejoin the Raider Family. I can't wait to serve the awesome student-athletes we have at Wright State, and I'm excited to meet and reconnect with our donors, corporate partners, and fans to share our story and continue moving forward. Wright State is a special place with a unique culture and I'm honored to be a part of it again."
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While at Northern Kentucky, Hays coordinated the efforts to market NKU's 17 NCAA Division I athletics programs and oversaw all aspects of ticketing for men's and women's basketball, volleyball and men's and women's soccer. Under his direction, men's basketball attendance grew 79 percent and annual ticket revenue for both basketball programs tripled. Over his six seasons at NKU, men's basketball season tickets grew from 519 to 1,411, and average student attendance increased by 50 percent.
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Hays first was a part of the Raider Family from 2012-2015 as the Assistant Director of Marketing, where he was deeply involved in all facets of the promotion of Wright State Athletics. In the summer of 2014, he took over additional duties as the department's Sales Manager, handling all sponsorship accounts for both athletics and the Nutter Center.
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His experience also includes a stint at Memphis, beginning in June 2007, when he was hired as a marketing graduate assistant. As a graduate assistant, he primarily worked with the women's basketball and soccer programs. Hays, promoted to the director of marketing and promotions in 2009, was responsible for developing a comprehensive marketing and advertising plan for all sports, coordinating in-game promotions, and planning special events such as the FanFest for football and Memphis Madness for basketball. He also served as a liaison with Tiger Sports Properties, the multimedia rights holder for Tiger Athletics.
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A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Hays also worked as a student assistant in the marketing department at the University of Tennessee and served as an account executive with the Knoxville Ice Bears from October 2006 to May 2007. Hays holds a bachelor's degree in sport management from Tennessee in 2007, as well as a master's degree from Memphis in 2009.
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Hays, his wife Cathy, and their two boys Lincoln (3) and Austin (4 mos.) reside in Lebanon.
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