Kellie Elliott Joining Staff At Florida State

Kellie Elliott, <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>San JoseState’s Deputy Director of Athletics, has formally accepted the position of Deputy Director of Athletics and Senior Women’s Administrator at FloridaStateUniversity.

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“Kellie Elliott has had a remarkable and lasting impact on San JoseState during the three years she has served this University,” said Tom Bowen, Director of Athletics. “We will miss her dearly, but this is an extraordinary opportunity for her and one which she could not pass up. Kellie is an exceptional leader and I congratulate FloridaState on a wonderful addition.”

Elliott has served as the chief operating officer of the Spartan Athletics Department, responsible for coordinating the daily administrative operations at San JoseState since 2005. The Stanford alumna supervised nine Spartan teams, with special emphasis on men’s and women’s basketball, and had a key financial role with football, including negotiating all football contracts and scheduling.  She also had oversight of marketing, ticket operations, finance, sports information, facility and event management, strength and conditioning and sports medicine and was the department point person for all human resources matters. 

Elliott also served as the Tournament Director for the 2007 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship San Jose Regional, hosted by San JoseState.  As the Senior Women’s Administrator, her responsibilities included ensuring the department’s compliance within Title IX.  She also served as the chairperson for the university Gender Equity Committee appointed by the president.

“It is with great anticipation and sadness that I announce my departure from San Jose State Athletics,” Elliott said. “Over the past three years I have had the privilege to witness the tremendous advancement we achieved across many sports and department units. Our coaches, staff and leadership have worked hard to build a program representative of a Culture of Champions.

“I am also appreciative of the time spent with student-athletes, university staff, alumni and boosters.  It is apparent that everyone involved with SJSU and Spartan Athletics in particular truly cares for the long term success of the athletics program and remains committed through this rebuilding process.  Tom Bowen presented me with a tremendous opportunity to be a part of Sparta and for that I will be eternally grateful.”

Prior to joining the Spartan athletics department, Elliott worked in a number of managerial and leadership roles at StanfordUniversity, her alma mater. As Project Manager in the department of athletics from 2004 to 2005, Elliott secured a $30 million contribution for new football stadium construction and directed the transition to launch the reopening of a renovated Maples Pavilion, Stanford’s basketball and volleyball venue.  Elliott also worked as a Project Manager for the Board of Trustees (2003-04), as a Program Director for the Alumni Association (1987-89; 1992-95) and as the Director of Football Operations (1989-92) for Stanford.

“We are very fortunate that Kellie has agreed to become part of the Seminole family,” said Randy Spetman, FloridaState’s Director of Athletics.  “Her vast experience in athletics at all levels speaks for itself.  She will be a great addition to our staff.”

“The opportunity to work at FloridaState is a special one,” added Elliott. “I came to know Randy (Spetman) during his time at UtahState. He is an extraordinary individual and I have a great deal of respect for his character, business practices and commitment to the student-athlete.”

From 2001-03, Elliott’s professional path took her in a different direction as she was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Huntsville Flight a charter member of the NBA’s National Basketball Development League. Her marketing and business acumen led to the Flight being a model franchise for the NBA, generating nearly $600,000 in corporate sponsorship and leading the league in attendance with 6,572 fans per game.  The official spokesperson for all media contact and press conferences, Elliott also mentored athletes for professional development, public speaking, media appearances and community volunteerism.

Elliott’s leadership and organizational skills were vital in the success of the 1996 and 2002 Olympic Games held in the United States. She was a regional operations manager for the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Committee and a senior general manager for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Committee. Her team of workers in Atlanta was voted “Best Operational Management Team” by the senior directors of the Olympic committee. At Salt Lake City, she was responsible for operational planning and implementation at six of the 10 competition venues.