Wright State University Athletics

Joylynn Brown was named the fourth Director of Athletics at Wright State on July 23, 2024 after serving in an interim role since April 2024.
 
Brown, the first woman athletic director in Wright State history, assumed the full-time athletic director position after serving a variety of roles on the athletics administration team since 2014, most recently as deputy director of athletics and senior woman administrator (SWA) before assuming the interim director of athletics title in April 2024.
 
Highlights since April 2024…

• Immediately focused on facility improvements, including securing a $30K donation for upgrades and spearheading the installation of new turf at Alumni Field and Mulholland Field, benefiting both student-athletes and the general student population
• Hosted the first-ever men’s and women’s basketball open summer practice event for season ticket holders
• Collaborated with university administration and community leaders to host the Air Force Academy for a men’s basketball game on November 30, 2024 while also securing a $50K sponsorship for community events surrounding the game
• Secured a sponsorship agreement with Southern Ohio Brewing to create and sell a Wright State-themed beer

 
Brown has been associated with Raider Athletics for nearly three decades, first coming to campus as a student-athlete, later coaching the Raiders before assuming her administrative roles. Throughout her time on Wright State’s senior leadership team, Brown has been actively involved with all facets of the department, chairing all head coaching search committees since her arrival, including the appointment of new head men’s basketball coach Clint Sargent. She has played a role in each area of Raider Athletics during her tenure and has had direct oversight for seven different men’s and women’s Wright State sport programs as well as having been a secondary supervisor for men’s and women’s basketball nearly a decade.
 
Brown served as Wright State’s NCAA administrative designee in recent NCAA tournament appearances for men’s soccer, volleyball and both men’s and women’s basketball, with all four capturing their first NCAA victories in program history.
 
Prior to serving in the interim AD role, Brown served as deputy director of athletics where she was charged with supervising all aspects of Wright State’s day-to-day operations. In addition to her duties with the Raiders, Brown had served as the Vice Chair of the Horizon League’s Senior Woman Administrator advisory group since 2023.
 
Brown played volleyball for the Raiders from 1989-1992 and was an all-conference performer before later serving as an assistant coach (1996-1998) and then head coach (1998-2005) of the volleyball program. During her time as head coach, she was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year in 2001 when she was also selected as the AVCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year. Brown graduated from Wright State in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in communications studies with a concentration in English.