Valdosta Athletics

Gregory Richard began his duties as the Assistant Athletic Director on September 15, 2024 after serving as the Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Fan Engagement at Lenoir-Rhyne University. 

During his time in Hickory, NC., Richard lead the Lenoir-Rhyne Marketing Department developing comprehensive marketing plans for all sports with an emphasis on driving revenue, generating fan/community engagement and increasing brand awareness. During the 2023-24 academic year, the Bears external team had a record breaking year with more than $2.7 million in external revenue. The year included the second annual BeaRaPaLooZa event that saw more than 7,500 visitors to campus, raising $227,068 in support of the student-athlete experience and scholarships. The event was recognized nationally with four NACMA Best of Awards, receiving Gold in: Best New Revenue Generating Idea, Best Single Game Attendance / Sellout Campaign and Best Community Engagement Event. BeaRaPaLooZa also received silver in the Best Fundraising Campaign category. The department also saw an increase in nine of 10 ticketed sports, led the South Atlantic Conference in seven of 10 sports and saw three programs ranked in the top six nationally, six programs in the top 15 and eight ranked inside the top 25. 

Prior to LR, Richard spent more than five years at Kentucky Wesleyan College located in Owensboro, Kentucky. Hired in 2018 as the Director of Athletics Marketing and Operations, Richard was charged with developing and executing all game-day activities for the Panthers as well as cultivating new and exiting partnerships within the Owensboro community to grow the departments host of corporate sponsorship, increase current revenue streams and create additional revenue streams.  

Richard quickly streamlined the season-ticket process for men’s and women’s basketball, cultivated a new partnership with Hometown Ticketing, reintroduced season tickets for football and expanded the Panther Athletic Fund to include an exclusive tailgating experience at football. In 2021 Richard was promoted to Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Internal Operations taking on oversight of the department’s brand management, licensing, and budgeting. He was also instrumental in major facility renovations/improvements including Woodward Health and Recreation Center, Jones Gymnasium, Panther Field, Foster Field, weight room and the completion of a new campus wrestling facility.

Soon after his arrival in Owensboro, Richard was named advisor of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). He has attended meetings and conventions at the conference and national levels in support of our student-athletes. Under his leadership, the Panthers quickly became leaders and a model within the G-MAC Conference and across the nation.

Richard was instrumental in organizing GAMEPLAN and HELPER/HELPER applications among student-athletes on campus. The Panthers increased their community service hours each year under his leadership culminating in a record of more than 4,000 hours and an estimated $125,369 estimated economic impact in 2023 earning the department’s first ever top 10 ranking. In the same year, the Panthers finished No. 1 in the nation by GAMEPLAN in student-athlete educational development among all divisions including 10 different programs finishing in the top 10 for their sport. The Panthers also made significant strides in mental health by bringing it’s own Green Bandana Project Chapter to campus. During this effort all 44 members of SAAC, 100% of athletic administrators and coaches as well as more than half of the department’s student-athletes became QPR certified. The Panthers also increased their yearly fundraising for the Make-A-Wish foundation each year with a record $10,226 in 2023 second in the nation. These accomplishments led to the Panthers winning the G-MAC SAAC’s highest honor in the Community Engagement Award in back-to-back years (2022 & 2023).

Richard served as a NCAA Site Representative for NCAA Cross Country National Championships in 2020. He also was the Great Midwest Athletic Conference representative for National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) from 2018-2020 and remains an active member in the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), NACMA, Collegiate Event and Facility Management Association (CEFMA) and College Sports Communicators (CSC).

Prior to his role at Kentucky Wesleyan, Richard served as a coordinator for game management, marketing, and promotions at McKendree University. While in 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 and revenue.

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 sport management and minored in coaching.