Scott MacDonald was promoted to Senior Deputy Athletics Director for External Operations in January 2024. He leads all revenue generation for the athletics department, including oversight over development, sponsorship, communications, marketing and tickets. MacDonald serves as the sport administrator for football, men's golf, women's golf, and women's swimming and diving. He was appointed to the NCAA Women's Golf Committee for a four-year term, beginning in September 2024.
MacDonald is a key member of the executive leadership team and was named the 2018 Kathy Best 'Best of the Best' Award recipient by Detroit Sports Media. SJSU has witnessed record revenue growth during his time as the chief revenue officer for the athletics department, including raising nearly $1 million more over the last year in fundraising and a half-million more in football ticket revenue during the 2023-24 campaign.
In January 2024, MacDonald worked closely with Director of Athletics Jeff Konya and Parker Executive Search to find SJSU's next head football coach Ken Niumatalolo. In his first season, Coach Niumatalolo has led the Spartans to a 6-3 record and their third consecutive bowl game appearance, despite losing nearly 50 players during the coaching transition.
Since MacDonald's arrival at San José State, the Spartans have built strategic relationships with NBC Sports Bay Area and Playfly Sports to help enhance SJSU's brand and increased the amount of broadcasts throughout the year. The first-ever televised game on NBC Sports Bay Area against New Mexico State (10/2/21) was a finalist for the Sports Video Group (SVG) College Media Awards for the Most Outstanding Live Game Production in 2021-22, and The Charge, SJSU's All-Access Show, was nominated for Most Outstanding Program Series. In 2022-23, the football game against Colorado State (11/5/22) was a finalist for the SVG College Media Awards for Most Outstanding Live Game Production.
SJSU created the first-ever fully integrated subscription model with Paciolan in 2022-23 and the Spartans were 1-of-3 finalists for Innovation of the Year at the PACNet '23 Awards. Through the subscription model, the Spartans increased ticket revenue and membership to One Spartan Nation, while also producing the best football attendance in over a decade.
MacDonald serves as the Executive Producer of the The Charge (SJSU's All-Access Show) and Sammy Awards. The Spartans aired six episodes of The Charge and several re-airs on NBC Sports California over the course of each month. The Sammy Awards is the student-athlete awards show was televised for the first time in school history on NBC Sports Bay Area in May 2022 and again in May 2023.
Prior to coming to the Bay Area in 2021, MacDonald led external operations at Northeastern University, where the Huskies witnessed record media coverage and engagement. Northeastern had 12 plays on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 Plays, reached over 15 million households from coverage on ESPN and local television networks, and produced over 200 episodes and broadcasts on NESN, named one of the world's top 10 most valuable sports business brands by Forbes Magazine. MacDonald served as the executive producer of the Howlin' Huskies Virtual Awards show on NESN, becoming the only collegiate property to produce a virtual awards show to recognize its student-athletes over the last two seasons, and executive producer of the Tales of the Howlin' Huskies, a two-time finalist for the Sports Video Group Awards for Most Outstanding Program Series (2020) and Most Outstanding Short-Form Fan Engagement Video (2021).
Before heading to Boston, MacDonald worked as the Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations for the United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL). As a member of the front office executive team, he built a strategic communication and marketing plans that led to a record 1.2 billion people reached through media coverage over the course of two seasons. The USPBL witnessed record numbers in attendance, including 123 sell outs in 150 games and a single-game attendance record of 4,926 in the Championship game on Sept. 8, 2019, breaking the old record by nearly 500 tickets sold. The USPBL witnessed a 33 percent increase in social media followers across all platforms under MacDonald's leadership and the USPBL was the only professional baseball league to have 10 games per year featured on ESPN3.
MacDonald spent 10 years at Oakland University previously as Associate AD for Public Relations from 2007-17 and was a member of the leadership team. The Golden Grizzlies launched a successful #WearTheBear marketing campaign, secured a key partnership with TV20 to televise men's and women's basketball games, and set record numbers in attendance, media coverage and social media engagement during his tenure. MacDonald assisted with the production of the Emmy-nominated Oakland All-Access Show and the annual Black and Gold Awards at the Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit. He also served as the Media Director of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Second and Third Round Games at The Palace of Auburn Hills and helped run the 2009 NCAA Men's Final Four at Ford Field.
MacDonald spent five years working in athletic communications at Georgia Tech (2003-07) and North Carolina (2002-03) before taking a leadership role at Oakland University. During that time, MacDonald was able to work with Olympic medal winners, as well as 2007 first round draft picks Calvin Johnson (NFL's Detroit Lions), Matt Wieters (MLB's Baltimore Orioles) and Thaddeus Young (NBA's Philadelphia 76ers). He also served as a media liaison at the NCAA Atlanta Baseball Regionals and Super Regionals in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and the 2006 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four. He worked as the Media Director for the 2006 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships.
MacDonald played collegiate baseball at Henry Ford Community College (1994-96) and St. Andrews University (1996-98), receiving a bachelor's degree in sports management in May 1999. He also earned two varsity letters on the golf team at St. Andrews (1998-99). After graduating from St. Andrews, MacDonald accepted a graduate assistant position in athletic communications at Oakland University, earning his master's degree in public administration in May 2002.
He is married to Tara MacDonald, and they have three children, Shea, William and Ashlyn.
What they are saying about Scott MacDonald
Andy Appleby, Founder, Owner and CEO, United Shore Professional Baseball League
“Scott was a great asset on our front office executive team during his time at the United Shore Professional Baseball League. He was able to build our brand through partnerships in the community and media, leading to unprecedented success in attendance, sponsorships and media coverage. His innovation and creativity led to our league being featured on national and local platforms, including several highlights on ESPN. He is a proven leader that makes every organization he works with stronger.”
Steve Kirschner, Senior Associate AD for Strategic Communications, North Carolina
“Scott has nearly a quarter-century of experience in college athletics as someone who cares first about the welfare and experiences of the students. That’s just one reason why he is so highly regarded as an athletics administrator and communications professional. He’s demonstrated at several schools and the USPBL that he has the innovation and creativity to help those programs excel in engaging with the community, promote his teams and generate additional resources.”
Ian Thomsen, Multimedia Specialist, News@Northeastern, Author of The Soul of Basketball and NBA writer for Sports Illustrated and the Boston Globe
“Working with Scott over the past two years at Northeastern has been inspiring. Scott acts on his ability to see around corners in a media world that is ever-changing. He develops visionary plans to embrace that future even as he builds one-on-one relationships in an old-school way — a rare blend. I continue to expect great things from Scott at San Jose State.”
Kevin Grigg, Senior Vice President of Public Relations, Detroit Pistons
“Scott will be a great addition to the athletic department at San José State University. His ability to develop and nurture personal relationships with student athletes, alumni and media members that cover the university’s athletics program will provide great opportunity for storytelling and engagement with the Spartan brand. As the overall media landscape continues to evolve through traditional and non-traditional means of delivery, Scott will ensure the department is innovative, opportunistic and prepared for the future.”
Bill Coen, Head Basketball Coach, Northeastern
“During Scott’s time here at Northeastern, he was the consummate professional. He was a dedicated and tireless worker who quickly earned the trust of student-athletes, coaches, and staff alike. He did an outstanding job of fostering relationships with local and national media outlets, and constantly leaned on those relationships to bring the best Northeastern stories to life. I’m quite certain Scott will be a tremendous asset to the San José State athletic department. We wish Scott and his family all the best and thank him for his service.”
Since MacDonald's arrival at San José State, the Spartans have built strategic relationships with NBC Sports Bay Area and Playfly Sports to help enhance SJSU's brand and increased the amount of broadcasts throughout the year. The first-ever televised game on NBC Sports Bay Area against New Mexico State (10/2/21) was a finalist for the Sports Video Group (SVG) College Media Awards for the Most Outstanding Live Game Production in 2021-22, and The Charge, SJSU's All-Access Show, was nominated for Most Outstanding Program Series. In 2022-23, the football game against Colorado State (11/5/22) was a finalist for the SVG College Media Awards for Most Outstanding Live Game Production.
SJSU created the first-ever fully integrated subscription model with Paciolan in 2022-23 and the Spartans were 1-of-3 finalists for Innovation of the Year at the PACNet '23 Awards. Through the subscription model, the Spartans increased ticket revenue and membership to One Spartan Nation, while also producing the best football attendance in over a decade.
MacDonald serves as the Executive Producer of the The Charge (SJSU's All-Access Show) and Sammy Awards. The Spartans aired six episodes of The Charge and several re-airs on NBC Sports California over the course of each month. The Sammy Awards is the student-athlete awards show was televised for the first time in school history on NBC Sports Bay Area in May 2022 and again in May 2023.
Prior to coming to the Bay Area in 2021, MacDonald led external operations at Northeastern University, where the Huskies witnessed record media coverage and engagement. Northeastern had 12 plays on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 Plays, reached over 15 million households from coverage on ESPN and local television networks, and produced over 200 episodes and broadcasts on NESN, named one of the world's top 10 most valuable sports business brands by Forbes Magazine. MacDonald served as the executive producer of the Howlin' Huskies Virtual Awards show on NESN, becoming the only collegiate property to produce a virtual awards show to recognize its student-athletes over the last two seasons, and executive producer of the Tales of the Howlin' Huskies, a two-time finalist for the Sports Video Group Awards for Most Outstanding Program Series (2020) and Most Outstanding Short-Form Fan Engagement Video (2021).
Before heading to Boston, MacDonald worked as the Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations for the United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL). As a member of the front office executive team, he built a strategic communication and marketing plans that led to a record 1.2 billion people reached through media coverage over the course of two seasons. The USPBL witnessed record numbers in attendance, including 123 sell outs in 150 games and a single-game attendance record of 4,926 in the Championship game on Sept. 8, 2019, breaking the old record by nearly 500 tickets sold. The USPBL witnessed a 33 percent increase in social media followers across all platforms under MacDonald's leadership and the USPBL was the only professional baseball league to have 10 games per year featured on ESPN3.
MacDonald spent 10 years at Oakland University previously as Associate AD for Public Relations from 2007-17 and was a member of the leadership team. The Golden Grizzlies launched a successful #WearTheBear marketing campaign, secured a key partnership with TV20 to televise men's and women's basketball games, and set record numbers in attendance, media coverage and social media engagement during his tenure. MacDonald assisted with the production of the Emmy-nominated Oakland All-Access Show and the annual Black and Gold Awards at the Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit. He also served as the Media Director of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Second and Third Round Games at The Palace of Auburn Hills and helped run the 2009 NCAA Men's Final Four at Ford Field.
MacDonald spent five years working in athletic communications at Georgia Tech (2003-07) and North Carolina (2002-03) before taking a leadership role at Oakland University. During that time, MacDonald was able to work with Olympic medal winners, as well as 2007 first round draft picks Calvin Johnson (NFL's Detroit Lions), Matt Wieters (MLB's Baltimore Orioles) and Thaddeus Young (NBA's Philadelphia 76ers). He also served as a media liaison at the NCAA Atlanta Baseball Regionals and Super Regionals in 2004, 2005 and 2006, and the 2006 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four. He worked as the Media Director for the 2006 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships.
MacDonald played collegiate baseball at Henry Ford Community College (1994-96) and St. Andrews University (1996-98), receiving a bachelor's degree in sports management in May 1999. He also earned two varsity letters on the golf team at St. Andrews (1998-99). After graduating from St. Andrews, MacDonald accepted a graduate assistant position in athletic communications at Oakland University, earning his master's degree in public administration in May 2002.
He is married to Tara MacDonald, and they have three children, Shea, William and Ashlyn.
What they are saying about Scott MacDonald
Andy Appleby, Founder, Owner and CEO, United Shore Professional Baseball League
“Scott was a great asset on our front office executive team during his time at the United Shore Professional Baseball League. He was able to build our brand through partnerships in the community and media, leading to unprecedented success in attendance, sponsorships and media coverage. His innovation and creativity led to our league being featured on national and local platforms, including several highlights on ESPN. He is a proven leader that makes every organization he works with stronger.”
Steve Kirschner, Senior Associate AD for Strategic Communications, North Carolina
“Scott has nearly a quarter-century of experience in college athletics as someone who cares first about the welfare and experiences of the students. That’s just one reason why he is so highly regarded as an athletics administrator and communications professional. He’s demonstrated at several schools and the USPBL that he has the innovation and creativity to help those programs excel in engaging with the community, promote his teams and generate additional resources.”
Ian Thomsen, Multimedia Specialist, News@Northeastern, Author of The Soul of Basketball and NBA writer for Sports Illustrated and the Boston Globe
“Working with Scott over the past two years at Northeastern has been inspiring. Scott acts on his ability to see around corners in a media world that is ever-changing. He develops visionary plans to embrace that future even as he builds one-on-one relationships in an old-school way — a rare blend. I continue to expect great things from Scott at San Jose State.”
Kevin Grigg, Senior Vice President of Public Relations, Detroit Pistons
“Scott will be a great addition to the athletic department at San José State University. His ability to develop and nurture personal relationships with student athletes, alumni and media members that cover the university’s athletics program will provide great opportunity for storytelling and engagement with the Spartan brand. As the overall media landscape continues to evolve through traditional and non-traditional means of delivery, Scott will ensure the department is innovative, opportunistic and prepared for the future.”
Bill Coen, Head Basketball Coach, Northeastern
“During Scott’s time here at Northeastern, he was the consummate professional. He was a dedicated and tireless worker who quickly earned the trust of student-athletes, coaches, and staff alike. He did an outstanding job of fostering relationships with local and national media outlets, and constantly leaned on those relationships to bring the best Northeastern stories to life. I’m quite certain Scott will be a tremendous asset to the San José State athletic department. We wish Scott and his family all the best and thank him for his service.”