Karen M. Carty Named Assistant AD for Marketing & Fan Engagement

Carty brings 15 years of NCAA Division I experience in collegiate sports marketing and communications to Bradley

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications General 8/12/2019 10:55:00 AM

PEORIA, IL – Karen M. Carty, who sports 15 years of experience in collegiate marketing and communications, has been named Bradley University Assistant Athletics Director for Marketing and Fan Engagement, according to an announcement Monday by Dr. Chris Reynolds, Bradley Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics.

"Karen Carty is an established professional in the world of collegiate sports marketing and we are excited to have her join the Bradley Athletics family," said Reynolds.

Carty comes to Bradley from Grambling State University, where she served as the assistant athletics director for media, marketing and promotions since April 2017. While at Grambling, Carty enhanced the overall branding, marketing, social media presence and game-day experience for the athletics department. During the 2017-18 year, she oversaw the production of printed and digital marketing materials that won several awards, including one gold and two silver Sports Advertising Awards. The following year, she ensured that all 15 Tiger programs had printed promotional materials, which was a first in GSU history.

With the installation of a state-of-the-art video board at the Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium and the construction of a brand-new mobile television production unit in 2017, Carty was able to create a more festive game environment for football and basketball home games. On-campus football game attendance during the 2017 season increased more than 25 percent from the previous season, while the average basketball attendance more than doubled from 2016-17 to 2017-18. The technological additions also helped to increase sponsorship opportunities, which led to Carty assisting in raising more than $420,000 for the 2017-18 season.

Some of Carty's additional responsibilities at GSU included supervising the sports information staff, marketing graduate assistants and undergraduate marketing interns; producing and executing all game scripts for football, basketball, soccer, baseball, softball and volleyball; serving as the athletics department's primary event planner; and working on the planning committees for the State Fair Classic and the prestigious Bayou Classic.

Prior to her appointment at GSU, Carty worked in the South Carolina State athletics department from 2014-2017. She served as the director of marketing, while also handling media relations for volleyball, women's soccer, women's basketball and softball. Carty was responsible for all the marketing and promotional efforts for SC State Athletics. Leading into the 2015 football season, she used a digital marketing campaign to increase average attendance by 5,000 fans per game, helping SC State lead the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in average attendance (15,629) in 2015 and rank 10th in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

Carty also worked to enhance the overall fan experience at SC State athletic events by partnering closely with the game operations committee to ensure everything from the ticket-taking experience to the experiences at concession stands and during the game were enjoyable for the fans. For her efforts during the 2015-16 year, Carty was named the SC State University Staff Employee of the Year, in addition to being the Staff Employee of the Year for the Division of Athletics.

Carty's other marketing responsibilities at SC State included handling all of the athletic social media accounts, formulating game scripts for all home games and serving as executive producer for the athletic department's YouTube series "After the Whistle." Additionally, she served as the advisor for the Athletic Marketing Internship, supervising 20 interns who helped to execute all marketing planning and activities. In the fall of 2015, the marketing interns, affectionately known as the "Money Team," were featured in STATED Magazine, SC State's student magazine.

At SC State, Carty served on the Athletics Hall of Fame, Homecoming, Sports Awards Banquet and Former Athletes Golf Tournament planning committees.

Before going to Orangeburg, Carty spent three and a half years as the sports information director at Baltimore City Community College. She was responsible for handling the media relations efforts for BCCC's six sports, including media guide production, game-day statistics and record keeping. She also maintained the athletics website, www.bcccpanthers.com, and oversaw its redesign in the summer of 2013.

Prior to BCCC, Carty worked in the sports information office at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Va. from 2004-2010, and was the assistant sports information director for the last three years of her tenure. She handled the media relations and media guide production for the women's basketball, women's cross country, volleyball, softball, women's tennis and women's indoor and outdoor track and field programs.

A native of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Carty graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in general business with an emphasis in marketing from NSU in 2004. She was a member of the women's tennis team and was named to the 2004 MEAC Commissioner's All-Academic Team. She also is a lifetime member of Golden Key International Honour Society and Beta Gamma Sigma, an honor society for business majors. Additionally, Carty currently holds membership in the National Association of College Marketing Administrators (NACMA).

A participant in the 2019 NCAA Leadership Education Series, Carty earned her master's degree in sports management from the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Ala. in 2009.

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