By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
Polished at the Championship Subdivision and Power Five level, Brian Mann's fundraising chops are impeccable. In taking over an athletic department that sponsors 23 varsity sports and launched a $55 million campaign three months ago, that was a must.
 
Yet for Mann, who was introduced as William & Mary's 30th athletic director on Thursday, another factoid stands out on his resume — he knows what it's like to be a student athlete in a demanding academic setting.
 
Mann has two degrees from Dartmouth College, a B.A. (history) in '02 and an M.A. (liberal studies) in '13. He was also the Big Green's starting quarterback and passed for a school-record 2,913 yards in his senior year.
 
So as he works to build rapport with W&M's student athletes, who work daily to balance academics and athletics, Mann can honestly tell them he's been there.
 
"It's incredibly personal to me, so I'll take that attitude to work every single day as I connect with our student athletes," Mann said. "It gives me the opportunity to speak to them in a way I can lead with empathy. I've been in their shoes.
 
"I also know what it's like to arrive on a college campus and, I'll politely say, need help navigating through because I wasn't maybe as tailored for that as some of my classmates and teammates were. It's why I'm so passionate about the student-athlete experience."
 
Mann will officially begin his AD role on Aug. 9. For a month leading up to that date, he will serve as special assistant to the president for athletics while he transitions to Williamsburg. His wife, Hilary, and 10-week-old son, Russell, will soon join him.
 
Mann comes to W&M from the University of California, Berkeley, where he served as chief development officer and senior associate athletics director for nearly two and a half years. He helped coordinate a $12.5 million gift for a student-athlete development program and a $10.8 million endowment for women's athletics. He also oversaw the men's basketball program.
 
Prior to that, he worked at Rice for four years, the final two as chief development officer and senior associate AD. His first job in athletics came at his alma mater, which he began as director of football operations before becoming managing director of leadership giving.
 
Mann was chosen from a national search conducted by a 13-member committee co-chaired by Interim Athletics Director Jeremy P. Martin Ph.D. '12, MBA '17 and Vice President for University Advancement Matthew T. Lambert '99.
 
"We sought candidates who recognize that excellence and belonging are core values to William & Mary," W&M President Katherine A. Rowe said. "And that we don't shy away from challenges. We looked for someone would be all in for William & Mary athletics specifically, and we found our new leader in Brian Mann."
 
The committee dug so deep during the hiring process that Martin spoke with a former teammate of Mann's from Dartmouth.
 
"I asked him how Brian treated the equipment manager when he was the star quarterback on the football team," Martin said. "That led to hearing how Brian has never forgotten where he came from and how he values everyone.
 
"And it ultimately led to a story of when the administrative assistant for the football program baked a cake for Brian's birthday because she appreciated him. And he was smart enough to share the cake with his offensive linemen."
 
Mann takes over at a critical time for William & Mary athletics, which has seen a decline in philanthropy the last few years. In March, the university launched "All In," a $55 million campaign to support all 23 varsity programs and significantly upgrade facilities.
 
Mann has seen how financial recovery works. From 2014-19, Cal athletics, which sponsors 30 varsity programs, had six consecutive years of deficits averaging in eight figures. For Fiscal Year 2020, the department finished with a surplus.
 
Of course, Cal is a Power Five and W&M is not. Yet there could be lessons to be brought along.
 
"That started with a great relationship with the chancellor and campus leadership and a conversation of what it costs to run an athletic department," Mann said. "… We also made it very clear to our community that we needed more support.
 
"The good news is, that type of support … it goes directly back to the student athletes. It's a really compelling case to make. I'm glad I had a chance to go through that experience. I learned a great deal from it. And certainly, if there are ways to apply it directly to the situation here, I'll absolutely do that."
 
Mann compares Williamsburg with Hanover, New Hampshire, where Dartmouth is located. W&M is often called "a public Ivy," and he sees why.
 
"The impact that a place like William & Mary can have with a world-class education paired with Division I athletics, to me, is transformational," he said. "(Dartmouth) transformed my life. It opened doors for me that I frankly didn't even know existed.
 
"As I look at the landscape of college athletics and how it's changing, places like William & Mary become even more critical to the entire enterprise. Places like this have to thrive so student athletes who want this type of opportunity, the harmony between education and athletics, the ability to be successful at both … those opportunities become more and more critical as college athletics changes. And I feel proud to be at an institution that will embrace that."