Collin Sexton elevated to Deputy Athletics Director

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas Director of Athletics Travis Goff rounded-out his Athletic Director’s Cabinet leadership for Kansas Athletics this week, including elevating Collin Sexton to Deputy Athletics Director – Chief Strategy Officer.

Sexton arrived to Kansas Athletics as Chief of Staff in August of 2021 from Northwestern University, where he worked alongside Goff. In his enhanced role, Sexton will continue to serve as the sport administrator for Kansas Football and drive department-wide focus on strategic initiatives, emphasizing future growth of the department and the continuously changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics.

The AD’s Cabinet consists of the following department leaders:

• Jason Booker, Deputy Athletics Director for External Affairs and Revenue Generation
• Nicole Corcoran, Deputy Athletics Director for Sports Administration and Student-Athlete Well-Being/Senior Women’s Administrator
• Sean Lester, Deputy Athletics Director for Administration
• Collin Sexton, Deputy Athletics Director – Chief Strategy Officer
• Kristen Toner, Deputy Athletics Director and Assistant Vice President for Development
• Megan Walawender, Deputy Athletics Director for Compliance and Legal Affairs

“We have an exceptional leadership team at Kansas Athletics. They are men and women of integrity, are profoundly committed to the University of Kansas and our student-athletes, have varying and diverse backgrounds, and each has had a significant hand in the broad-based momentum for our department,” Goff said. “Alongside our talented Executive Staff, they are the ideal team to lead Kansas Athletics forward in this new chapter and I am grateful to work alongside them each and every day.”

Booker, a Kansas graduate, leads the external affairs and revenue generation teams for the department, which includes communications, creative services, marketing and fan experience, Rock Chalk Video, sales and service, trademark licensing and Name, Image and Likeness. The sport administrator for soccer, Booker is in his second stint with the Jayhawks and returned after serving as the Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships and Broadcast Sales for the Kansas City Royals. Booker currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Kansas City Sports Commission as well as the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Corcoran, who has been at Kansas since 2009 and has been in several different roles, serves as the primary liaison for Kansas Team Health, responsible for the wellbeing of KU’s student-athletes. Several key areas also report through Corcoran, including student-athlete development, human resources, inclusive excellence and engagement and outreach. Corcoran leads the sport administration group and serves as the sport administrator for volleyball, women’s basketball, softball, women’s tennis and women’s golf. She spent seven years in the State of Kansas Governor’s Office prior to coming to KU, serving as the press secretary and communications director.

Lester arrived at KU in 2003 after working at the University of Connecticut for 10 years and has served several different important roles during his tenure. Currently the sport administrator for men’s basketball and baseball, Lester oversees business operations, capital projects, facility operations and event management teams, academic success, equipment operations and ticketing. He is currently serving in a leadership role for the Gateway District and the reimagined David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, helping oversee one of the largest projects in university history.

Toner, who holds a degree from KU Law, joined Kansas Athletics in 2022 to lead the development team and guide the strategic direction and execution of all annual, major, and principal gift activities supporting Kansas Athletics. Toner has led a rebranding of the development team, which is now called Kansas Athletics Development and has been a major factor in the new Ad Astra Society. Toner as worked at KU Endowment since 2011, and continues to serve that organization as an Assistant Vice President for Development in addition to her Deputy AD role.

Walawender first joined the university in 2016 as associate general counsel for the university. She now serves as Deputy AD in addition to serving as a senior associate general counsel in the university’s general counsel office. As the chief legal officer for Kansas Athletics, Walawender manages the legal affairs of Kansas Athletics, handling a variety of areas, including risk management, corporate transactions and contracts and provides direction on major legal and regulatory issues, including legal advice regarding the current state of college athletics. She also oversees the student services and compliance departments for Kansas Athletics.

The cabinet will work closely with KU’s two Executive Associate AD’s, Dawn McClure (Human Resources) and Pat Kaufman (Chief Financial Officer), and Goff’s Executive Team and Sport Administrators. A full list of the executive team and sport administrators can be found below.

Kansas Athletics Executive Team:

Jason Booker, Deputy Athletics Director for External Affairs and Revenue Generation

Nicole Corcoran, Deputy Athletics Director for Sports Administration and Student-Athlete Well-Being/Senior Women’s Administrator

Sean Lester, Deputy Athletics Director for Administration

Collin Sexton, Deputy Athletics Director for Strategic Initiative/Chief of Staff

Kristen Toner, Deputy Athletics Director and Assistant Vice President for Development

Megan Walawender, Deputy Athletics Director for Compliance and Legal Affairs

Pat Kaufman, Executive Associate Athletics Director, Chief Financial Officer

Dawn McClure, Executive Associate Athletics Director, Human Resources

Daniel Berk, Associate Athletics Director for Public Relations and Strategic Communications

Stephani Boyd, Executive Assistant to the Director of Athletics

Paul Buskirk, Special Advisor for Campus Engagement and Career Outreach

Angie Cretors, Associate Athletics Director for Compliance

Andrew Gaschler, Associate Athletics Director for Marketing

Scott Hahn, Associate Athletics Director for Ticket Operations

Dr. Jarrod Harrall, Head Primary Care Team Physician for Kansas Team Health

Ryan King, Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Support Services

Eric Luna, Vice President of Premium Seating, Ticketing and Fundraising

Brad Nachtigal, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Operations/Capital Projects/Information Technology

Maya Ozery, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Development

Paul Pierce II, Associate Athletics Director for Inclusive Excellence

Wayne Simien, Associate Athletics Director for Engagement and Outreach- Administration

Dan Simon, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development

Marc Tuttle, Vice President and General Manager of Jayhawk Sports Properties

Susan Stagg-Williams, Faculty Athletics Representative – Chemical and Petroleum Engineering

Sport Administrators:

Baseball: Sean Lester

Men’s Basketball: Sean Lester

Women’s Basketball: Nicole Corcoran

Football: Collin Sexton

Men’s Golf: Pat Kaufman

Women’s Golf: Nicole Corcoran

Rowing: Maya Ozery

Soccer: Jason Booker

Softball: Nicole Corcoran

Swimming and Diving: Maya Ozery

Tennis: Nicole Corcoran

Track and Field/Cross Country: Paul Pierce II

Volleyball: Nicole Corcoran