Athletics Promotes Three Leaders

ABILENE – Abilene Christian University Athletics made three personnel changes recently to optimize the department from the top level.

The moves involve several departments under the direction of Chris Ballard, Heather Wyatt and Quintin Payton.

Ballard moves from Deputy AD for Administration/Chief of Staff to Associate Vice President/Chief Operating Officer. Wyatt moves from Associate AD for Compliance and Student Services/SWA to Senior Associate AD for Internal Operations/SWA. Payton is promoted from Associate AD for Marketing and Fan Engagement to Senior Associate AD for Brand Development and Fan Experience. 

"These administrative changes better align responsibilities with the strengths of our leaders and the priorities of our department," said ACU Vice President for Athletics Zack Lassiter. "I feel very fortunate to be surrounded by great teammates and look forward to watching Chris, Heather and Quintin continue to grow in their careers and serve ACU Athletics to the best of their abilities."

Chris Ballard - Associate VP/COO

Ballard will supervise day-to-day operations, budget, facilities, sports medicine, strength, and the facility master plan. He will serve as the sport supervisor for golf and volleyball and secondary sport supervisor for football. 

Ballard began with ACU Athletics in the student services area in 2015. Prior to that, he worked in the University's admission office. He graduated from ACU in 2008 with a bachelor of science in exercise science and then earned his master's in sport and recreation management from Hardin-Simmons University in 2013.

Heather Wyatt - Sr. Associate AD/SWA 

Wyatt leads the compliance, academics, and student-athlete development areas in addition to being the sport supervisor for soccer and tennis and secondary sport supervisor for women's basketball. She serves as the contact for student conduct, gender equity, and the Title IX Office. She also leads the sport supervisor team and various internal committees. In the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), Wyatt chairs the Compliance and Governance Committee and is a member of the Sport Management Committee. 

Before coming to ACU in 2020, Wyatt was a compliance specialist at Lamar University (2019-20) and assistant director of compliance at Houston Christian University (2018-19). The Liberty University alumna and student-athlete (track and field/cross country and disc golf) held several jobs during her time in Lynchburg, Virginia, including compliance graduate assistant, compliance intern, and external events intern.

Wyatt is currently pursuing an Ed.D in organizational leadership at ACU with expected graduation in 2024. She previously earned a master of science degree in sports management in 2018 and a bachelor's degree in government in 2016 from Liberty University.

Quintin Payton - Sr. Associate AD

Payton now manages marketing, communications, creative content, and the fan experience committee while also providing sport supervision for softball.

Payton joined the ACU staff in May 2022 as the Associate AD for Marketing and Fan Engagement.

Payton joined ACU from Big XII and in-state rival TCU, where he served as Assistant Director of Marketing for three years. He brings with him a decade of athletics marketing experience with previous stops at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Jacksonville University and the University of West Florida.

A native of San Antonio, Quintin received his bachelor's degree in kinesiology with a minor in marketing from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and his master's degree in strategic communication and leadership from the University of West Florida.