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Athletics Director Program

From AD to CEO: Prepare to lead the future of College Sports

Who Should Attend?

This program is designed for athletics administrators with people leadership responsibility who are ready to advance into executive roles and contribute to the strategic leadership and navigation of their program.

Become Resilient, Adaptable, and Sharpen Business Acumen

Change in collegiate sports is not slowing down for the foreseeable future. NIL, revenue sharing, and roster caps are only today’s challenges, and in a world where artificial intelligence is accelerating innovation, leading the future of collegiate sports requires new mindsets, skills, and networks. The Athletics Director Program is a 3.5-day in-person learning experience designed to help future and current ADs accelerate their leadership growth and business skills. In addition to building their network, participants will be immersed in a social learning environment with experiential activities that will allow them to turn insights learned from the program into real action back on campus. The program will be designed and led by Joe Castiglione and the team at OU Athletics, Price College of Business Executive Academy Faculty, and experts from across industry.

Lunchtime Livecasts

What does it take to lead collegiate athletics in the modern era? Join Joe Castiglione, distinguished Vice President & Director of Athletics at the University of Oklahoma, alongside industry experts Sean Daly and Nick Tobey, for a 60-minute live webinar introducing our Future Athletics Director Program.

Future Athletics Director Livecast

Monday, June 30 | 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CT

In this webinar, prepare to:

Get an exclusive look at this innovative program that prepares athletics leaders to navigate today’s evolving collegiate sports landscape with the skills to adapt, overcome challenges and thrive under pressure.
Hear directly from the minds behind the curriculum — and from one of the most respected voices in the field
Discover how this unique experience will help you quickly become a more effective leader.

Whether you're wanting to lead your department, grow your impact or take the next big step in your career, this is a program you won’t want to miss.

Registration Coming Soon

Program Features

This program prepares you to:

Gain confidence in your ability to lead strategically and navigate the changing landscape of collegiate athletics
Sharpen your knowledge of financial management, revenue diversification and budgeting to the strategic operations of a modern NCAA D1 athletics department
Learn how to influence key institutional stakeholders to create strategic alignment for your department.
Develop leadership skills that align with your values and culture, while shifting your mindset to become more resilient in a business environment full of change and disruption.

At a Glance

October 22 – 25, 2025, Optional “Game Day Experience” on Saturday October 26^th
3.0 in-person learning days with an optional 4^th Game Day Experience
Learn directly from Joe Castiglione, prominent leaders in D1 Athletics, Price College of Business Faculty and Experts from Industry
$4,850 (includes all program related costs including breakfast, lunch and kickoff dinner)
Receive a Certificate from Price Executive Academy that includes digital badging

Session Details

Program Day	Session Title	Big Question	Key Outcome
Wednesday (October 22nd, 2025)	Adaptable Teams and Leadership	How do I build and sustain teams that can thrive when rosters, regulations, and revenue models shift overnight?	Develop your own “adaptability audit” you can run with your senior staff to spot rigidity, identify quick-win process tweaks, and embed continuous-improvement habits across functions and teams within your department.
	Leadership via Improv	How can I be more present and adaptable when leading during times of volatility and uncertainty?	Apply techniques that professional improvisors use to be able to react, adapt and communicate at the top of your ability – and during every important leadership moment.
Thursday (October 23rd, 2025)	Power and Influence: Stakeholders and Institutional Alignment	How can I align presidents, faculty, coaches, boosters, collectives, athletes, and media partners—each with different perspectives—to pursue one coherent vision?	Leave with a living “stakeholder influence matrix” that maps allies, resistors, and potential partners—and a concrete plan to move critical relationships closer to strategic alignment.
	Investments and Capital	Where should the next dollar go—facilities, technology, coaching salaries, NIL funds, athlete services, or debt reduction—to maximize competitive edge and long-term viability?	Escalating athlete compensation and slowing media-rights growth mean yesterday’s facility arms race is no longer the default path. Learners weigh cost of capital, donor preferences, Title IX constraints, and ROI metrics to understand how to build a balanced investment portfolio.
	Financial Decision-Making	What financial frameworks will help me keep programs solvent when athlete revenue-sharing could redirect a major portion of annual income?	Develop a financial model for decision-making that can be applied to relevant scenarios facing modern athletics departments that maximize financial performance as the collegiate sports industry changes.
Friday (October 24th, 2025)	Donor Relations and Fundraising Innovation	How do I grow philanthropic support with fewer resources while not cannibalizing gifts to collectives and NIL funds for athletes?	Learn how to apply social network theory to innovate your fundraising campaigns and maximize outreach efforts.
	Strategic Thinking and Communication	In a marketplace overflowing with headlines and hype, how can I rally staff, recruits, donors, and media with impactful communication that will inspire them to play a role in implementing our strategy during times of change?	Understand your role in strategic communication and draft messaging that will establish alignment with key stakeholders up, down and across your athletics operation.
Saturday (Optional) (October 25th, 2025)	Game Experience @ OU Memorial Stadium	How can I make this learning experience memorable?	This optional day is available for participants who would like to stay an extra day and access behind-the-scenes experience of SEC football at OU.

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Location

Hosted on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, our program provides an immersive learning experience in top-tier athletics facilities, offering participants hands-on learning in venues designed for elite performance and leadership.

1185 Asp Ave, Norman, OK 73019