Memphis Athletics Announces Leadership Team

Memphis Athletics Senior Staff (l to r): Marlon Dechausay (associate athletics director, student-athlete welfare); Andrew Roberts (senior associate athletics director, finance); Lauren Ashman (executive associate athletics director, senior woman administrator); Dr. Adam Walker (executive associate athletics director, administration); Laird Veatch (director of athletics); Jeff Crane (deputy athletics director); Fernandez West (associate athletics director, Center for Athletic Academic Services); Blair DeBord (associate athletics director, development); Steve Macy (senior associate athletics director, external relations)

Photo by: © University of Memphis. photo

Feb 21, 2020 | General

MEMPHIS – University of Memphis Director of Athletics Laird Veatch announced Friday a new structure of the department's administrative leadership team to facilitate continued growth, increased efficiency and greater opportunities for the comprehensive program and more than 400 student-athletes.

The new organizational structure features an executive staff of four, which will also serve within a senior staff of nine, enabling intentional communication channels and increased collaboration across departmental units and all 19 intercollegiate sports.

The top line of the executive organizational chart under Veatch's leadership consists of:

Jeff Crane, deputy athletics director
Lauren Ashman, executive associate athletics director, senior woman administrator
Dr. Adam Walker, executive associate athletics director, administration

The new executive team will allow synergies among all areas of athletic performance and student-athlete welfare by bringing together like units and strengthening internal communications.

"I am extremely excited about our athletics department, the direction we are headed and the culture that we're establishing together," said Veatch. "We have recently added some excellent administrative talent to our strong leadership team. Our new organizational structure will streamline our communication and provide more clarity and direction. We will also enhance our internal communication channels to provide even better care for our student-athletes, support for our coaches and service to our fans.

"We want to promote the University of Memphis by winning the right way, and this model will help facilitate that goal. Every member of the athletics department plays a vital role, and this will allow us to operate as a more cohesive unit."

Crane, who joined the UofM as deputy AD in April 2019 after serving as executive associate athletic director at the University of South Carolina, will serve as the sport administrator for football, men's and women's golf and will oversee business and finance, marketing and communications, and operations and facilities.

He spent nearly 13 years at South Carolina where he held various leadership roles including oversight of marketing and directing fundraising efforts. He was interim athletics director at USC Upstate from March-June 2018. Prior to South Carolina, Crane worked five years in marketing at his alma mater, TCU, with the last two years as director of marketing.

Ashman, who joined the UofM last month after spending the previous four-plus years as the senior associate AD, Title IX deputy coordinator and SWA at Bowling Green State University, will be the sport administrator for women's basketball, women's soccer and softball. An area of emphasis in Ashman's role is Title IX/gender equity, and she will oversee compliance, academic support and student-athlete welfare.

She was the associate AD for compliance and student services at Ohio University from 2013-15 before going to Bowling Green. Ashman began her career at Coastal Carolina followed by a stint at Hofstra before returning to Coastal Carolina.

Walker, who has been promoted from senior associate AD, development, will be the sport administrator for men's basketball and track & field, and he will oversee development, the ticket office, special events and the M Club. In his ninth year at the UofM, Walker and his development team have raised more than $115 million in support of Tiger student-athletes during that span.

Prior to his tenure with Memphis Athletics, Walker served as the senior director of development for the Fogelman College of Business & Economics. He came to Memphis from the University of Central Florida and started his career in fundraising at his alma mater, Kansas State.

Along with the executive staff, other senior staff members include:

Marlon Dechausay, associate athletics director, student-athlete welfare
Steve Macy, senior associate athletics director, external relations
Fernandez West, associate athletics director, Center for Athletic Academic Services
Blair DeBord, associate athletics director, development
Andrew Roberts, senior associate athletics director, finance

In addition to their areas of administrative leadership, current senior staff members Dechausay, Macy and West will be responsible for supervising and supporting individual sports. Dechausay will oversee volleyball and rifle; Macy will supervise men's and women's tennis; and West will work with men's soccer.

Memphis Athletics is also excited to announce two talented new additions to the senior leadership team in Blair DeBord, associate athletic director, development; and Andrew Roberts, senior associate athletics director, finance.

DeBord will manage the fundraising efforts for Memphis Athletics and supervise the sport of baseball. Prior to starting at Memphis in early December, DeBord spent nearly two years at UNLV as the assistant athletics director, development & strategic initiatives. He began his career at his alma mater, Kansas State, where he was assistant director of development.

Roberts will join Memphis Athletics in March and serve as CFO for the Tigers while overseeing several internal functions of the department. He spent the previous five years at the University of Arkansas, where he served as director of business operations and was promoted to assistant athletic director, finance. He also worked for the athletics programs at Ole Miss and the University of Miami prior to going to Arkansas.

University of Memphis Athletics is experiencing tremendous excitement, success and momentum and has galvanized the City of Memphis as it continues to grow its exposure nationally with both football and men's basketball being mainstays on national television. The University of Memphis has experienced unprecedented growth on the academic side as well, as recognized by U.S. News & World Report ranking the UofM in the top tier for public universities for the first time in school history.

"It is a tribute to our outstanding group of Tigers coaches, our University administration and athletics support staff for this era of momentum in Tiger Athletics," said Veatch. "Thanks to the leadership of President Rudd and the support of the Memphis community, we are not only competing but excelling on a national level.

"We are on a positive trajectory with our finances and operations as well, primarily due to the competitive success of our programs. However, we continue to be heavily reliant on University and Tiger Scholarship Fund donor support. We operate an incredibly lean and efficient model compared to our peer set, so finding ways to secure additional resources and philanthropic support for our programs will be critical to continue our momentum in a sustainable way."

This new organizational structure is just the first step in the department's effort to chart a clear direction for the future of Memphis Athletics. The next several months will involve the development of both a comprehensive strategic plan and a facilities master plan that will guide efforts in the years ahead.