William & Mary Director of Athletics Brian D. Mann announced the hiring of Ricky Ray as the Tribe's senior associate athletics director for external operations at William & Mary, effective January 10th, 2022.
 
Ray comes to Williamsburg after most recently serving as the deputy athletics director at Campbell University in North Carolina.
 
Brian Mann, W&M Director of Athletics said, "Ricky has vast experience in the business of intercollegiate athletics, including corporate sales and licensing, marketing and brand management, ticketing and enhancing the donor and fan experience.  He will handle the day-to-day issues with an eye to innovation, as he has demonstrated in his previous jobs.  He will be a great addition to our team." 
 
"After hearing Brian articulate his vision for William & Mary Athletics and getting to know him and other members of the senior staff through the interview process, I immediately felt at home," said Ray.  "I am excited about the opportunity to serve at an institution that is poised to continue to thrive. I look forward to contributing to the growth of our student-athletes and the student body as a whole."
 
As head of external operations, Ray will serve as the department's chief business strategist.  He will be responsible for brand management, marketing, donor and fan experience, creative services, and ticketing and sales. He will be responsible for developing revenue generation initiatives, including strategic partnerships and external contracts such as multimedia rights, apparel partner, licensing, and merchandising.
 
During his five-year tenure at Campbell, Ray increased corporate sales revenue by 142 percent, ticket revenue by 65 percent and licensing revenue by 47 percent.  In the COVID-19 shortened 2020 football season, he put together a four-game series against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents and received national television coverage and millions of dollars in exposure. Additionally, Ray served as the sport administrator for football, men's basketball and men's soccer.
 
Prior to Campbell, Ray was the general manager for Troy Sports Properties at Troy University and director of external affairs for the Carolina Mudcats.  He was also a radio/television broadcaster for ISP Sports at East Carolina University.  He also worked in media relations and marketing at Georgia Southern University.
 
Ray has a Bachelor of Art degree in mass communication from Campbell University and a Master of Science degree in kinesiology (sport management) from the University of Central Missouri.