SAN ANTONIO —UTSA has named Brendan Hoffer as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development and promoted Kelsey Thomas to Assistant Athletics Director for Major Gifts.
"We are excited to welcome Brendan to the Roadrunner family," UTSA Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lisa Campos said. "He brings a wealth of experience in cultivating relationships and soliciting support for student-athletes from his previous time at Houston, ULM, UTEP and Washington State. He is a great fit for UTSA as we embark on expanding our donor base and resource discovery.
"We are equally thrilled about elevating Kelsey into the role as Assistant AD for Major Gifts. In her short time at UTSA, she has brought high energy and new ideas to the department, which have led to a more visible outreach to our current and former student-athletes and a more strategic approach to our donor stewardship."
In addition, Kalie Jonovich and Evan Wilks joined the staff as Development Assistants for the Roadrunner Athletic Fund earlier this year.
Hoffer, who has experience at four different NCAA Division I schools and has helped secure multiple major gifts during his career in athletics fundraising, will have oversight of the UTSA Athletics Development Office and will be responsible for major gift fundraising and cultivating new relationships for the department.
"I'm excited to join the Roadrunner family and begin meeting our amazing donors, season ticket holders, alumni and fans," Hoffer said. "I want to thank Dr. Lisa Campos for this tremendous opportunity and I look forward to helping develop champions in the classroom, in competition and in life."
Hoffer comes to UTSA from the University of Houston, where he served as Associate Athletics Director for Development for three years. He led a staff that increased annual giving by $2 million. Cougar Pride membership grew by more than 1,000 members during his tenure and he helped develop the fundraising campaign for the $60 million Fertitta Center project and secure leadership gifts for the $20 million football indoor practice facility project.
Prior to his time at Houston, Hoffer spent five years at the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM). He was the Associate Athletics Director for External Operations/Executive Director of the ULM Athletic Foundation from 2013 to 2015 after spending his first two years as the Director of Annual Giving before a one-year stint as a development officer. He played a part in eight of the largest gifts in ULM Athletics history and helped grow the ULM donor base by more than 50 percent.
Prior to ULM, Hoffer spent two years at UTEP as an assistant director of development where he created the MAC Business Program and was responsible for the club level area of the Sun Bowl, revenue generation for "An Evening with Tony Dungy" while managing all aspects of the annual UTEP Athletics Hall of Fame.
Hoffer received his start at his alma mater, Washington State, serving first as an undergraduate assistant for two years before being named the Gray "W" Varsity Club coordinator in 2007.
Hoffer earned his bachelor's degree in social science with an emphasis in sports management from Washington State in 2007. He currently is working on completing his master's degree program in sport administration from Arkansas State.
Thomas spent the last 18 months as Director of the Roadrunner Athletic Fund prior to her promotion. She will be responsible for managing and working with a prospect portfolio, soliciting major gifts and implementing and executing strategic fundraising plans.
"I am incredibly thankful for this opportunity," Thomas said. "I am looking forward to continuing to work with and learn from great people under Dr. Lisa Campos' leadership with an inspirational vision for UTSA Athletics. The student-athletes, coaches and staff are striving toward greatness and I am eager to help build increased support for their programs."
While serving as Director of the Roadrunner Athletic Fund, Thomas developed and executed solicitations, renewals, strategic communications and stewardship packages to more than 2,000 donors to help provide scholarship support and vital resources for student-athletes and the athletics department. She also helped create and introduce a monthly e-newsletter that features current and former student-athletes and donors. In addition, Thomas developed and led the annual fund team, fulfilled donor benefits and collaborated with various units within Athletics and with the University's development department.
Thomas came to UTSA from Army West Point, where she was the Associate Director of Army A Club for three years. She got her start in intercollegiate athletics as a marketing intern with the Miami (Ohio) Athletics Department in 2010. She also spent time as a sales intern for the department's outbound ticket sales team, Mandalay Baseball Properties.
She spent one year as a development intern with the Ohio Bobcat Club in 2011-12 before a stint as a development graduate assistant with the Ohio Bobcat Club for 20 months.
Thomas earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology with a minor in business management from Miami (Ohio) in 2011. She received a master's degree in business administration and sports administration from Ohio in 2014.
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