THE FLATS – Robby Poteat, a veteran fundraiser who has spent the past 14 years as an athletics administrator at the University of Dayton, has been named Georgia Tech’s executive associate athletics director for development and executive director of athletics development, Tech athletics and the Institute’s office of development announced on Friday.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Robby and his family to Georgia Tech,” Georgia Tech director of athletics J Batt said. “Robby has established himself as one of college athletics’ top fundraisers and revenue generators, highlighted by the great success that he has helped lead Dayton to over the past 14 years. I am confident that his energy, ingenuity and genuine care for the success of student-athletes on and off the field will resonate with our wonderful base of donors, and encourage Yellow Jacket fans worldwide to support our student-athletes and teams through the Alexander-Tharpe Fund.”
“Robby will be a remarkable addition to our athletics and development leadership teams,” Georgia Tech vice president for development Jennifer Howe said. “He understands the importance of building strong relationships, truly values the student-athlete experience, and understands every aspect of operations and fundraising within the current athletics climate. I have every confidence that Robby can help accelerate the private support needed to build out the vision for athletics that J is setting, and to be a valuable part of the Institute’s overall success in the Transforming Tomorrow campaign.”
Poteat oversaw Dayton athletics’ fundraising efforts for nearly eight years, first as associate athletics director from August 2015-July 2019, then as senior associate athletics director for external affairs and development from July 2019 until accepting his position at Georgia Tech. As Dayton’s chief fundraiser, he helped UD complete more than $100 million in capital projects. He also supervised multiple external units, which generated more than $3 million in corporate support with compound annual growth rates averaging 8-10% across sponsorship sales and advertising. Additionally, he assisted with premium seating sales and strategy for Dayton’s inventory of more than 300 club, loge and terrace seats and suites.
Administratively, he was the Flyers’ sport administrator for football, assisted with supervision of UD’s nationally prominent men’s basketball program and participated in relevant high-level coaching searches.
Poteat began his 14-year stint at Dayton as director of corporate relations from 2009-11. During his first two years on the job, UD’s annual sponsorship revenue saw a 41% increase. He was promoted to assistant athletics director in 2011, where he oversaw multiple external revenue streams, including corporate sponsorship, premium seating and suite sales, merchandising and media rights. He also assumed major gift responsibilities. He held the assistant A.D. position for four years before taking over the Flyers’ fundraising operations in ’15.
“First, to follow in the footsteps of Jim Hall, and, formerly, the late Jack Thompson, is a tremendous honor,” Poteat said. “Jack was a trailblazer in the athletics fundraising field during his time with Homer Rice, and Jim has been tremendous in this space for a long time, connecting Georgia Tech’s passionate supporters with the philanthropic opportunities of the Alexander-Tharpe Fund.
“Jen Howe is one of the great leaders in institutional advancement and it is wonderful to be teaming up with her again,” Poteat continued. “J is an exceptional athletics director. I have watched his career for some time and always knew, if given the opportunity to be a part of his team, that I would readily jump on the bus, or in this case, the Ramblin’ Wreck. My wife and I are thrilled to be joining the Georgia Tech community, and I cannot wait to meet the great supporters and be a contributing member to the institute.”
Prior to his arrival at Dayton, Poteat held roles at:
- Speedway Motorsports Incorporated, where he assisted SMI’s national sales team with day-to-day execution of race weekend preparation at major NASCAR events including the Coca-Cola 500, Sprint Cup All-Star Race and Bank of America 500;
- ISP Sports Properties (now Learfield)/Vanderbilt, where he assisted one of ISP’s most productive sales teams with day-to-day operations and revenue growth;
- and the National Football League’s Tennessee Titans, where he served in a community relations role.
A four-year basketball letterwinner and two-year team captain at Guilford (N.C.) College, Poteat began his professional career in coaching, first as an assistant men’s basketball coach at his alma mater (2006-07), then as a graduate assistant in strength and conditioning at Belmont (2007-08).
The Hickory, N.C. native earned a bachelor’s degree in sport management from Guilford in 2007, a master’s degree in sport administration from Belmont in 2009, an MBA from Dayton in 2015 and a certificate in business analytics from Harvard in 2022.
Poteat and his wife, Lauren, who was a letterwinner in women’s lacrosse at Georgetown, have a son, Bode, and a daughter, Palmer. They are also parents to two yellow Labrador retrievers.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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