Brown Named Senior Associate Athletic Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

NEWARK, Del. - Delaware Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation Services, Chrissi Rawak, and Chief Diversity Officer, Office of Institutional Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Fatimah Conley, announced the addition of Dr. Christopher Brown to the senior leadership team on Thursday. Brown will join the Blue Hens in a newly created role, serving as the Senior Associate Athletic Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

"Core to our values and success is an active commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. We believe that our entire community -- our fans, students, student-athletes, staff, and coaches -- should have the opportunity to thrive. We are committed to the relentless pursuit of unconditional inclusivity and genuine civility within and surrounding our Blue Hen Family," said Rawak. "I believe that Chris is a terrific fit for us, based on his experience, his approach to the work and what he values in his everyday life. I could not be more excited to start this work with Chris and Fatimah!"

Brown will report to Rawak and Conley. As a key member of the Executive Team and the Leadership Team, Brown is charged with developing, managing, and implementing the long-term strategic direction and defining our approach to promoting and fostering an accessible, welcoming, and affirming environment.

"I am beyond excited to serve as the inaugural Senior Associate Athletic Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the University of Delaware," said Brown. "Thank you to Chrissi Rawak and Fatimah Conley for the opportunity to serve the University of Delaware community and to join the Blue Hen family."

"I am thrilled to have Chris join both Athletics and the Office of Institutional Equity! Athletes have always had a visible place in social justice movements. Whether you're talking about Muhammad Ali, Megan Rapinoe, Lebron James, or our Blue Hen Football and Women's Basketball teams, athletes can be catalysts for open dialogue around equity issues and agents for positive change," said Conley.
"I look forward to OIE leveraging Chris's expertise and experience with student-athletes and applying some of his methods of success to the entire student body, to both undergraduate and graduate students, and at all of our campuses across the state of Delaware."

Brown arrives at Delaware with a variety of NCAA and consulting experience. He currently serves as a Lecturer in Sport Management and Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Kansas. In addition to his role at Kansas, Brown is a consultant to The Knight Foundation and Great Northeast Athletic Conference. He is the founder and consultant of Brown Athletics Consulting. Brown's previous stops include the NCAA National Office from 2014-2020 as the Associate Director of Academic and Membership Affairs and Southeast Missouri State as the Assistant Director of Compliance from 2013-14.

Brown earned a bachelor's degree in history from Colorado State. He received a pair of master's degrees from Austin Peay in health and human performance and communication. Brown earned his doctorate in sport management from Kansas.

University of Delaware Athletics

Brown Named Senior Associate Athletic Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

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