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Yulander Wells Jr. Joins Notre Dame As Deputy Athletics Director

SOUTH BEND, IN Yulander Wells, Jr., who has served as the Deputy Athletic Director for External Operations and Relations at Harvard since May 2021, has been named the University of Notre Dame’s Deputy Athletics Director in charge of Business Strategy. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Yulander, his wife Janelle and their family into the Notre Dame community,” said University Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick. “His track record of building strong working relationships between the university and its athletic department fits perfectly with Notre Dame’s approach to athletics.” 

“During this turbulent time in college athletics, I also have no doubt that Yulander will help us to effectively support our student-athlete experience while optimizing all of our financial resources.”

Wells will take a leading role in developing and implementing the financial strategic direction in support of Notre Dame’s student-athlete experience that puts the intersection of athletics, academics, faith and student life at the forefront. 

Wells will join the Athletic Department Leadership team as one of eight direct reports to the Athletics Director and will lead the efforts and have strategic oversight in managing all of the department’s daily and long-term financial activities, focusing on revenue generation, business, facility and event operations and corporate and development relations, 

“I am truly honored to join the University of Notre Dame and the South Bend community,” said Wells. “I want to thank University leadership, Jack (Swarbrick) and everyone I met with throughout the process. My family and I are excited to be a part of Notre Dame’s worldwide presence.” 

In his role at Harvard, Wells provided strategic leadership and was responsible for broad supervision of the athletic department’s external units, which included athletic communications, business development, ticketing, marketing, multimedia, alumni relations and development. He also served as the sport administrator for Football, Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse, Men’s and Women’s Fencing, as well as Rugby during his time in Cambridge. 

Before arriving in Cambridge, Wells compiled more than 12 years of athletic administration experience. A former two-sport athlete, Wells was South Florida’s (USF) Senior Associate Athletics Director for Business and Finance/Chief Financial Officer for three years before being elevated in September 2017 to Senior Associate Athletics Director for Administration. Then in 2018, Wells added development to his area of oversight. 

In his final role as USF’s Senior Associate Athletics Director for Administration and Development, Wells helped South Florida reach all-time highs for total dollars raised in a single year and number of Bulls Club donors, while assisting the department in surpassing the “100 Iron Bull” mark for the first time in department history, representing the highest annual giving donor level. He additionally managed all football scheduling and led metric tracking, meetings and implementation of the department’s strategic plan. 

Before joining the Bulls, Wells was the Assistant Controller for the University Athletic Association, Inc., at Florida from 2008-13. Wells was responsible for the overall financial management specifically related to the athletic department’s fundraising arm, Gator Boosters, Inc.

He served as the primary contact for Gator Boosters, Inc., in regards to financial reporting, tax filings, internal and external audit engagements, budgeting, forecasting, cash management and internal controls with also a limited role in soliciting and cultivating donors. In addition to financial management responsibilities, Wells was also a liaison to the University of Florida Foundation, Inc., assisting with the review of gift agreements and gift processing, endowment requests, disbursements and tax related issues. 

Wells serves on multiple committees, including being elected 2019 President for the Collegiate Athletic Business Manager Association (CABMA), serving on the College Football 150th Anniversary Finance Committee, and various boards for local organizations. He has also presented at several college athletics conventions and NCAA events, has experience as a lecturer, and co-founded WellsQuest, a client-centric firm that offers an array of services and is focused on fostering an innovative workplace that is proactive, measurement-based and conscientious. 

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Wells earned his Bachelor of Business Administration-Finance Degree in 2001, and his M.B.A. in 2005 from North Central College in Naperville, Ill.. While at NCC, Wells was a member of the basketball and track teams, serving as a three-year basketball captain and earning all-conference honors each year. Yulander and his wife, Dr. Janelle Wells, have three sons.