Looking to the Future with Kassi Butcher, Director of Marketing

ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Kassi Butcher has been serving as the Director of Marketing for the UNC Asheville Athletic Department since September 2022.

Butcher, a native of Asheville, spent two years prior to returning to her hometown as the Sports Information Director at Point University. While at Point, Butcher was the primary contact for the institution's 19 athletic programs. Within her first year at Point, Butcher updated the department's website to a new platform and within her second year, she updated the department's live stream and incorporated broadcasting. She served on the senior support team for athletics and was the secondary administrator for seven teams.

Butcher graduated from Milligan University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and served as Milligan's assistant SID for the 2019-20 school year.

As a student at Milligan, Butcher was a member of the Milligan softball team and was a part of the teams that made it to the NAIA Softball National Championship in 2016 and 2017. While working in the sports information department, Butcher helped cover Milligan's 28 athletic programs with the most notable projects that Butcher assisted on at Milligan including the institution's rebranding and transition from College to University, the Milligan softball team hosting the USA softball team before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Milligan volleyball team hosting the first-ever national championship event on Milligan's campus.

While working with the sports information department at Milligan, Butcher also worked for the Elizabethton Twins, the former rookie league affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. Butcher served as the Promotions and Community Relations Intern during the 2019 season, and at the conclusion of the 2019 season, Butcher was promoted to Ticket Sales Manager.

Butcher earned her Master's Degree in Sport Management from Liberty University in January 2022.

Butcher is an active member with Women Leaders in College Sports and College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA).

1. What is a piece of advice that you would give your past self in terms of navigating athletics as a female?

"Be confident that you deserve a seat at the table, but always work for that seat."

2. What area of women's athletics do you see most impacted by Title IX?

"Funding for women's sports is an area that I feel has been incredibly impacted by Title IX. The NCAA also currently recognizes more female sports than male sports which I feel is a huge testament to the work that has been done by Title IX."

3. What do you hope to see in the future for women in sports administration roles?

"I hope that seeing women in administrative roles continues to become a normal expectation in athletics. Every woman who has come before us and has helped pave the way are amazing and brave women, and I hope that their work never stops being recognized, but I hope that women in leadership roles continue to become a normal expectation."

4. How do you see the future of UNC Asheville Athletics? What is something that looks promising?

"I see a lot of growth in UNC Asheville's future. Success is something that everyone wants to achieve and continuing to strive for a standard of excellence will allow growing opportunities for all athletic programs."

5. As we look to the future of college athletics, what is the biggest change you have seen that you hope to see sustainable growth in?

"The emphasis and importance that has been placed on mental health in athletes is something that I hope continues to grow. Mental health was not discussed when I was an athlete and there was not a lot of importance placed on it. I was also at an NAIA and did not have the resources that a lot of NCAA schools had at the time. I hope that work continues to be done to help support the mental well-being of athletes and that athletes across all divisions can receive support and helpful resources."

6. Who is a female in athletics that you look up to?

"Rachel Balkovec is someone whom I admire so much. She is currently a minor league baseball coach and seeing her step into a male-dominated sport and take on the role of a coach is so impressive to me. The knowledge she has of the game and the impact she is able to make both on the field and off the field is inspiring."

Join us for Our Turn to Play Scholarship Dinner April 25th at 6:00PM in the Wilma M. Sherrill Center to celebrate our female student athletes and highlight some impactful women in the sports industry. Sponsorships and Ticket opportunities are available by contacting apritch2@unca.edu or visiting the ticket link HERE.

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics

Looking to the Future with Kassi Butcher, Director of Marketing

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