Richmond Names McQueen as Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director/SWA
7/16/2021 11:05:00 AM | General, The Golden Flashes Club
KENT, OHIO - Kent State Director of Athletics Randale L. Richmond is pleased to announce the hiring of Suzette McQueen as the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator.
In this role, McQueen will provide leadership for the department's revenue generation initiatives, external operations, athletics communications, and athletics philanthropy and engagement processes. McQueen will also lead the department's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging initiatives, support the department's strategic plan implementation, have sport administrative duties and serve as the Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) for the department of athletics.
"Suzette brings an incredibly diverse skillset to Kent State," shared Richmond. "Her vast experiences will be a true benefit to the University, our department, and our student-athletes. We are thrilled to add her voice to our leadership group and excited to have her join the team as we continue to grow Kent State Athletics."
Prior to arriving at Kent State, McQueen served as the Senior Associate Commissioner of External Operations and Strategic Marketing/Senior Woman Administrator for the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). In her role she managed sponsorship, media rights, promotions, media relations and marketing for the CIAA's 14 championship sports. She assisted in developing strategies tailored toward promoting brand management and increased revenue streams while supporting the mission and vision of both the conference and its member institutions.
"Upon meeting with Randale and throughout the interview process, I was impressed by the enthusiasm and energy from the Kent State team. I am excited for the opportunity to return to campus as a member of the leadership team and look forward to being a part of the growth of the program," said McQueen. "It's an exciting time to be joining Kent State under its new leadership and with the opportunity to be a part of the new strategic vision as well as to assist in building on the program's rich history."
"I would like to acknowledge Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams for her guidance and support as well as the entire CIAA family, for allowing me the opportunity to learn and grow. I know that I will always be CIAAforlife," McQueen added.
McQueen has served as an athletic administrator for 20 years, both at the Division I and Division II levels, and currently serves at the national level as the Chair of the NCAA Committee for Women's Athletics.
Prior to her time with CIAA, McQueen served as the Associate Director of the Davidson College Athletic Fund (DAF). In her role, she was responsible for identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of donors in support of Davidson's 21 intercollegiate teams. In addition, she worked closely with the Office of Special Events and managed special projects focused on capital and scholarship fundraising.
In advance of her time at Davidson, she served as the Assistant Athletic Director, External Affairs and Media Relations and Senior Woman Administrator at Adelphi University having oversight over media relations for the University's 20 Division II sports programs along with serving as the executive director of the Panther Club. She also served as a liaison to campus partners including the President's Office, alumni relations and development.
McQueen has experience on the NCAA DII Nominating Committee. She completed the Women Leaders Executive Institute and is a 2017 graduate of the NCAA Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute. McQueen is an active member of Women Leaders in College Sports serving on the Fundraising Committee and the Conference Administrators Circle and is also a member of the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) and National Association for Athletic Development Directors (NAADD).
McQueen is a former student-athlete in track & field at the University of Michigan and currently serves on the Letterwinners M Club Board. She completed her undergraduate work at the University of Michigan in Communications and holds a Masters in Sport Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill.
She and her husband Kevin, a former track & field All-American at Syracuse University, have two children, Sedona and Kyle.
