DALLAS (SMU) – Veteran athletics administrator Dawn Rogers will join the SMU staff as Deputy Director of Athletics for Internal Affairs, Director of Athletics Rick Hart announced today. Rogers comes to the Hilltop from Baylor, where she has served as Deputy Athletics Director since 2017.
She will serve as the sport administrator for the SMU men's and women's soccer programs and will assume supervision of women's basketball and the title of Senior Woman Administrator in the spring.
"We are blessed to be able add someone with Dawn's level of experience to our staff," said Hart. "This newly-created role will be critical in our continued growth and evolution as a department. Dawn's background and breadth of administrative knowledge makes us better immediately."
"It is an honor to join the SMU family," said Rogers. "SMU Athletics has such rich tradition, and I look forward to serving the Mustang community, especially our incredible student-athletes as we continue to strive for excellence. I am grateful to Rick Hart for entrusting me with this important role. I also remain tremendously thankful for my Baylor Athletics family, who have been such a vital part of my life for the past six years. My family and I are excited to call Dallas - and the Hilltop - home. Pony Up!"
In 2021, Rogers took on sport administration leadership for Baylor's 19 sport programs, working in collaboration with each program's head coach and primary sport administrator. In Waco, she served as the sport administrator for men's basketball and track & field, helping guide BU hoops to the 2021 NCAA Championship. She also provided oversight to the student-athlete success areas that includes academic services and student-athlete development. Prior to 2021, Rogers provided oversight of the student-athlete health and wellness area that includes sports medicine, physical therapy/rehabilitation, nutrition, mental health services, athletic performance and applied performance. Rogers also formerly oversaw strategic planning and initiatives, Title IX, Inclusivity, Gender Equity and Diversity.
Rogers came to Baylor after serving as the Executive Director and CEO of the Phoenix Final Four Local Organizing Committee (LOC), where she was responsible for the overall direction of the 2017 Phoenix Men's Final Four. In addition to raising the local funding, she hired and led a talented staff of 15, spearheaded communication efforts, and shaped the Read to the Final Four Arizona Literacy Campaign, which invited third graders across the state to participate in an online literacy contest.
While producing a highly successful event, Rogers used the Final Four platform to create a Weekend of Action involving community service projects across Arizona. She also coordinated the Legacy Project at Harmon Park, which involved renovation of several indoor and outdoor spaces for the community.
Prior to her Phoenix Final Four appointment, Rogers spent more than nine years as a Senior Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator at Arizona State. She was directly responsible for the welfare and success of student-athletes, coaches and staff as a member of the senior management team, while also overseeing men's basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, men's and women's swimming and diving and softball.
Rogers held an active role in The Sun Devil Club, regularly working with Sun Devil Athletics donors to secure and steward major gifts. She served as the Pac-12 Network contact, coordinating and approving television schedules for ASU Athletics programs. She served on the Pac-12 Conference Council, chairing the Senior Women's Administrator Council twice, and spent eight years as a conference representative in the NCAA Administrative Cabinet.
After spending 1998-04 as Senior Associate Athletics Director at Xavier, Rogers was named Director of Athletics in June 2004. She had oversight of 18 NCAA Division I teams, 65 staff members and 250 student-athletes. In Cincinnati, Rogers championed academic success and community involvement. She invested in the expansion of academic support systems and prioritized social responsibility. The department consistently posted a 3.0 GPA or better and every athletics team participated in at least one community service project per semester.
Rogers began her career in college athletics as Director of Promotions at Temple before transitioning to an Assistant Athletics Director role at Akron.
Rogers earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Ithaca College in 1986, graduating Cum Laude. During her collegiate career, she lettered in volleyball and track and field. She received her Master of Science degree from Massachusetts in 1987.
She and her husband, Rob, have a son, Owen, head strength coach at Arlington Martin High School, and a daughter, Hazel, an intern at Women Leaders in College Sports.
