HICKORY, N.C. - Lenoir-Rhyne Athletics has announced the hire of Gregory Richard as the department's new Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Fan Engagement. Richard comes to Hickory from Kentucky Wesleyan College, where he served as the Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Internal Operations.
"Gregory is an extremely high performer with a proven track record of success in a variety of areas in collegiate athletics," said Associate Athletic Director for Revenue Generation Jake Berry. "We are excited to welcome him to campus and know that he will continue to elevate our marketing and fan engagement efforts. Gregory fits in perfectly with LR Athletics' commitment to developing champions for life."
"I would like to thank Vice President for Athletics Kim Pate, Senior Associate AD Justin Hay and Associate AD Jake Berry for this incredible opportunity," Richard said. "LR's commitment to excellence and the development of their student-athletes is unmatched. I could not be more excited to serve one of Division II's premier institutions, our student-athletes, coaches, and the greater Hickory Community."
In his previous role at Kentucky Wesleyan, Richard oversaw the athletic operating budgets of 28 athletic programs. He also developed and executed all game day activities, ranging from scheduling game management staff to enhancing the gameday atmosphere. In addition, he served as an advisor to the Student-Athlete Advisory Community where he won the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Community Engagement Award in 2022 and 2023. During the 2022-23 academic year, Richard and Kentucky Wesleyan were ranked first across the country by GamePlan for their student-athlete educational development.
Prior to his role at Kentucky Wesleyan, Richard served as a coordinator for game management, marketing, and promotions at McKendree University. During that role, Richard oversaw game management operations and assisted in the development and execution of strategic marketing and promotion plans for individual teams to increase program awareness. In addition to his time at McKendree, Richard was the Director of Hockey Operations/Coordinator for Contest Management at Western New England University. In that role, Richard was responsible to create and assemble gameday scripts while recruiting and training student workers.
Richard received his Master of Business Administration from McKendree University in 2018 and his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at Western New England University in 2016 where he majored in sports management and minored in coaching.
