After joining the Roadrunners’ senior staff in August 2021, Shanda Hayden is the senior associate athletics director for Student-Athlete Academic Services for Roadrunners Athletics.
Hayden is charged with directing UTSA’s Student-Athlete Academic Services, which supports the academic progress of each UTSA student-athlete. In addition, she serves as the primary administrator for UTSA’s men’s and women’s tennis programs.
A native of Shawnee, Kan., Hayden came to the Roadrunners after spending 22 years at The University of Kansas, including functioning as the assistant athletics director for academic and career counseling from 2007-2021. She moved into her role in the KU athletics program after serving as the director of student recruitment and academic advisor for the KU School of Business from 1999-2007. Beginning her athletics career as the associate director in student-athlete support services, Hayden worked directly with women’s basketball, track & field and cross country from 2007-08, before earning a promotion to senior associate director and taking charge of football from 2008-18. Hayden was again promoted to assistant athletics director in 2014, working with KU’s track & field, cross country, and men’s and women’s golf programs from 2018-21.
As an assistant AD, she was responsible for all aspects of KU’s academic structure, including recruiting and initial visits with prospective student-athletes, academic progress monitoring, advising of degree and course options, individual counseling and assisting with Big 12 Conference and NCAAA certifications.
Hayden also served as the coordinator of KU’s Student-Athlete Support Services Staff Education and Development and the Student-Athlete Support Services Wellness Committee. She also served on the KU Athletics Wellness Committee, was a member of the KU Athletics Women’s Mentorship Program, while also partnering with the creation and coordination of various committees in Kansas Athletics and the KU campus community.
Hayden graduated from Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration. She is in the process of earning an intercollegiate athletics administration graduate certificate from Ole Miss.
She is an active supporter of the fight against childhood cancer after losing her seven-year-old son, Cole, to the disease in 2016.