UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Patrick Kraft announced the hiring of Leah Beasley as Deputy AD for Strategic Engagement and Brand Advancement. Beasley comes to Happy Valley with nearly 20 years of experience, most recently serving as executive AD for external engagement at the University of Oklahoma.
“We are excited to welcome Leah to our Penn State family,” said Kraft. “Leah is a dynamic leader with a deep understanding of collegiate sports and a strong commitment to student-athlete development. Her strategic mindset and innovative approach to NIL, fan engagement and branding will be invaluable as we continue to elevate our programs. I’m confident she will make an immediate and lasting impact on our department.”
In her role at Penn State, Beasley will lead Penn State’s strategic efforts to amplify the voices and stories of its student-athletes, while also fostering a meaningful connection with fans and stakeholders. The creation of Beasley’s position is an indicator of Penn State Athletics’ commitment to empowering student-athletes to grow their brands through innovative platforms in this new era of college athletics. In addition to her strategic engagement and branding responsibilities, Beasley will also collaborate with key stakeholders to lead revenue generation initiatives to enhance the student-athlete and fan experience, drive departmental growth and enhance financial sustainability.
She will oversee the departments of strategic communications, social media, creative services, branding and marketing. She will also serve as the architect of ROAR+ and the Penn State Brand Academy, developing content and NIL education platforms to empower student-athletes in the evolving collegiate athletics landscape.
“I am incredibly honored to join Penn State Athletics and be part of a community with such a proud tradition and powerful impact,” said Beasley. “I want to thank Pat Kraft for this incredible opportunity and for his visionary leadership. I look forward to working alongside our talented team to amplify the voices of our student-athletes and connect deeply with fans, alumni and partners. This is a transformational time in college athletics, and I’m excited to help drive innovative strategies that elevate our brand and create new momentum across the board.”
At Oklahoma, Beasley drove the key external strategies of revenue generation, student-athlete and fan experience/promotion and brand management. She led a broad portfolio of departments including communications, creative strategy, digital strategy and revenue innovation, licensing, marketing and fan engagement, external NIL, SoonerVision, strategic partnerships and ticket operations and sales. Beasley has served as the sport administrator for a number of teams during her career, including football, women’s basketball, women’s gymnastics and baseball.
She played a key role in university-wide initiatives at OU, chairing the Trademark Advisory Committee and serving on the President’s Marketing Leadership Cabinet, Critical Issues Committee and Signature Student Experiences Committee. She also served on the board of directors for the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) and NCAA Women’s Basketball Advancement Committee. She is also an active member of Women Leaders in Sports, the Paciolan Advisory Committee and the SEC’s Chief Revenue Officer group.
Prior to her tenure at Oklahoma, Beasley spent nearly a decade at Mississippi State University, where she rose to the role of deputy athletics director for external affairs. Her leadership there encompassed broadcast operations, communications and creative content, digital innovation, fan experience, outbound ticket sales, marketing and sponsorship activation.
Beasley began her career at Louisiana Tech University, rising to the role of associate athletics director for sales, marketing and event management.
A four-year letterwinner for the Louisiana Tech softball program, Beasley earned both her bachelor’s in marketing and master’s in business administration from LA Tech.