Da’Ron Brown joined SMU as Assistant Athletic Director for Development/ Major Gifts in July of 2024.
Brown arrived at SMU during a momentous time as SMU Athletics became a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). In his role, primary responsibilities are tailored to fundraising for major gifts designated for capital projects, other SMU Athletics initiatives, and NIL.
Before joining SMU, Brown served as the Director of Major Gifts at University of Miami (2021-2024) where he helped with fundraising efforts for capital projects and increased membership in Miami Athletics, Athletic Directors Society.
In his role with Baylor University (2020-2021) his role was primarily focused on the annual fund, sport-specific giving, and leadership giving efforts as the Director of Resource Development for the Bear Foundation.
With Ole Miss Athletics (2017-2020), Brown served as the Development Associate and was promoted to Assistant Director of Development of the Annual fund where he helped with ticketing and donations, premium sales, and other fundraising efforts apart of the Forward Together Campaign.
Brown attended Troy University where he was a football walk-on and received his Bachelor’s in Sport & Fitness Management and his Master’s Degree in Public Administration. He also is a member of (NAAD) National Association of Athletic Development where he was a recipient of the 2023 Bobby Purcell Mentorship program.
