Altius Sports Partners Appoints Stanford Deputy AD Tommy Gray as Chief Strategy Officer
CHICAGO, Ill. (January 18, 2023) – Altius Sports Partners (ASP), the leading advisor to elite collegiate athletics programs, today announced the appointment of Tommy Gray as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), effective January 30, 2023. As CSO, Gray will report to CEO Casey Schwab and drive development and enhancement of university relationships while overseeing ASP’s ongoing growth strategy. Gray will join ASP from Stanford University where, as Deputy Athletics Director he serves as Chief of Staff to the Athletics Director and oversees external relations.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the Altius Sports team. The people involved in the company – from established sports business thought leaders to rising stars who will help shape the college sports landscape for decades to come – are truly remarkable,” said Gray. “ASP is approaching today’s complex issues the right way while also preparing to help its clients navigate the inevitable changes that are yet to come. I’m proud to be part of it.”
The hiring of this new position adds to ASP’s industry prowess as it delivers best-in-class support and resources to position more than 30 collegiate partners at the forefront of the evolving NIL era, college athlete rights, and beyond. Gray brings to ASP more than a decade of leadership experience managing operational and business strategies in both collegiate and professional sports. He has spent the last nine years with Stanford Athletics. In his role as Deputy AD, Gray is responsible for overseeing all external relations functions, including communications, corporate partnerships, creative video, digital strategy, fan experiences, marketing, and ticketing. As Chief of Staff he is also responsible for facilitating collaboration and productivity across a variety of department activities, boards, and leadership groups.
Gray’s extensive pedigree as a senior leader at one of the most successful college sports programs in the country will help further solidify ASP’s position as the leading strategic advisor in college sports. His background in professional sports, having served as a manager in the market research and strategy department for the New England Patriots and the Kraft Sports Group, along with his experience at Deloitte Consulting as a strategy and operations consultant for Fortune 500 companies, will strengthen ASP’s pursuit of strategic growth opportunities and internal operational efficiencies. Furthermore, Gray’s experience as a college athlete, having served as co-captain of the varsity swimming and diving team at Harvard, and a sport supervisor, having overseen five of Stanford’s varsity sports, adds valuable perspective on the challenges and demands facing today’s college athletes.
“Tommy is a proven leader with deep understanding of how the evolving college athlete rights landscape is reshaping the college ecosystem and extensive experience working with world-class organizations on strategic development and growth opportunities,” said Casey Schwab, CEO, Altius Sports Partners. “We are focused on making the right decisions that will help our university partners adapt and excel. As someone who can lead us on both near and long-term strategy, we are excited to welcome Tommy as the newest member of our team.”
ASP has grown from a successful new venture to an industry-leading change agent. In three years, ASP has gone from launching with two school partners (LSU and Texas) to currently supporting 34 universities, including almost half of the Power Five. Last year ASP launched a first-of-its-kind on-campus NIL GM Program with top programs including Arizona State, Cincinnati, LSU, Marquette, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, South Carolina, and USC, and scaled its blue-chip NIL advisory and education services through the launch of ASP Academy with four inaugural school partners: Nevada, North Alabama, Oakland, and Tulane.
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About Altius Sports Partners
ASP is a leading NIL launch platform and external innovation department that delivers consulting, strategic planning, compliance support and education to its clients. An official partner of premier collegiate athletic departments and sports properties, ASP provides strategic solutions on topics ranging from NIL to the shifting landscape of employment and media rights within college athletics. ASP currently represents athletics departments at Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Cincinnati, Clemson, Duke, Georgia, Georgetown, Indiana, Kansas, LSU, Marquette, Miami, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Nevada, Northwestern, North Alabama, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oakland, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Penn State, South Carolina, USC, Tennessee, Texas, Tulane, Villanova, Virginia, and Wisconsin. ASP has also partnered with Women Leaders in College Sports. Providing all stakeholders – athletics departments, coaches, and athletes – with resources they need to thrive in the new age of college athletics, ASP leverages its deep reservoir of sports business sophistication to help those impacted to prepare and excel. It has built a team of cross-disciplinary leaders to reach higher levels of education, higher access to opportunities and higher standards of excellence.
Media Contact:
ASP: press@altiussp.com