University of St. Thomas Athletics
Photo by: University of St. Thomas
From the details to the big picture, Athletics’ Senior Leadership Team helps propel St. Thomas on its Division I journey
11/15/2021 10:58:00 AM | Athletics
Dr. Phil Esten will soon celebrate the three-year anniversary of his hiring as Vice-President and Director of Athletics.
Few collegiate athletic directors nationally have had to face the variety of challenges that Esten has navigated over his first 35 months in his role. One important task he has worked through: reorganization, expansion and fine-tuning of staffing across the entire department.
In building out a team to assist in the university's Division I transition, Esten has hired motivated and talented individuals while also improving diversity across St. Thomas Athletics. A true focus on diversity and inclusion, 20 percent of the athletic department's new hires under Esten are people of color, and 40 percent are female.
Another notable development has been Esten's ability to assemble a five-person senior leadership team of experienced, high-energy and driven administrators.
Whether contributing to big-picture vision or executing on essential details, Esten's leadership group has helped take our Division I path from a concept to a reality.
"I love our leadership team – they are all selfless, student-athlete centric, service-oriented individuals with tremendous college athletics and life experience," Esten said. "Equally as important, they each offer an impactful, yet unique, dimension of leadership to our athletics department. I'm grateful that we've been able to attract such an accomplished group of professionals, and I look forward to the future of Tommie Athletics."
All five of the current members of the senior leadership team are seasoned athletics professionals they bring extraordinary experience, and a variety of skill sets and experiences, primarily in college athletics but in some cases in professional and business organizations.
In addition to their tangible experience on their resumes, this group also bring an intangible of people skills and vision that help them connect with student-athletes, coaches and colleagues.
These five leaders alone bring more than 70 years combined collegiate experience, plus almost 20 years of experience in professional sports.
Here's a glance at each team member:
Amy Olson-Cooper – Senior Associate Athletics Director, Senior Women's Administrator
Amy Olson-Cooper joined the St. Thomas staff in fall 2021 as a Senior Associate AD. A native of Minneapolis, and a Washburn High graduate, Amy returned to the Twin Cities after serving in both coaching and administrative positions at every level (Division I, II, and III) of college athletics.
Among Amy's oversight responsibilities for Athletics' are business and finance; compliance; purchasing; and human resources. She serves as Senior Women's Administrator and the Department's Chief of Staff. She also has sport administration responsibility for Volleyball, Women's Basketball, Baseball and Women's Tennis.
She most recently served in a similar athletic administrative role at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She was tasked with the oversight of budget, travel and ticketing and also served as HR liaison and Senior Women's Administrator.
As a college soccer coach, she also was named the 2015 Division III Independent Soccer Coach of the Year, and trained multiple nationally-ranked players.
As a Division I student-athlete at Howard University, Olson was twice named All-Big South Conference and team co-MVP three times in soccer.
"St. Thomas has always had a solid academic and athletic reputation," said Olson-Cooper. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for the institution's commitment to the leadership and culture they are fostering on campus and in the athletic department. We are making history as the first institution to move all sports directly from D-III to D-I in the same year, and to be a part of that will be amazing.
Olson-Cooper on what attracted her to St. Thomas and unique opportunities in her role to enhance the student-athlete experience:
"Dr. Esten has done an outstanding job of assembling such a great leadership team with experts in each of their respective fields all working together to create the best future possible for St. Thomas student-athletes. In my role as Senior Women's Administrator, I have quickly realized that I have strong partners on this leadership team as we commit to give all of our female student-athletes the best possible experience as they represent our university.
"At St. Thomas, I also look forward to participating in our athletic Champion's Circle, a program St. Thomas started this year to provide intellectual and philanthropic support that will empower our student-athletes to be future leaders who think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully to advance the common good. In addition, I intend to create more programs within Tommie Athletics that will support our current and future student-athletes."
Cory Chapman -- Senior Associate Athletics Director, Internal Operations
In summer, 2021, Cory Chapman began his third year at St. Thomas as a Senior Associate AD and reunited here with Phil Esten after they worked together both at Penn State and Minnesota. In his Internal Operations role, he oversees the areas of facility operations; capital projects; event management; championships; special events; intramurals and recreation; equipment services; and ticket operations.
In addition, Chapman serves as the sport administrator for Men's Basketball; Women's and Men's Soccer; and Women's and Men's Golf.
Chapman previously worked four years at Penn State University as Associate AD, Facility and Event Operations. Chapman was responsible for home football game-day operations at Beaver Stadium and also supervised as event management; information technology; athletic grounds; the Penn State golf course; and was sport administrator for PSU Baseball. In those roles, he managed 30-plus full-time staff members, as well as budgets that supported Penn State's 31 varsity athletic programs and 14 athletic facilities. Chapman also managed and facilitated major maintenance and capital projects to enhance and support Nittany Lion student-athletes.
Prior to his time at Penn State, Chapman spent six years at another Big Ten institution, the University of Minnesota. Chapman started as the Operations Manager for the inaugural season of TCF Bank Stadium in 2009.
A native of La Crosse, Wis., Chapman holds a master's degree from Fort Hays State University and a bachelor's degree from Viterbo University. Chapman played collegiate soccer, beginning his career at Bethany Lutheran College, where he earned second-team All-America honors as a freshman before finishing his playing career at Viterbo.
Chapman on what attracted him to St. Thomas and unique opportunities in his role to enhance the student-athlete experience:
"Once my collegiate playing days were behind me, I quickly realized that I wanted to remain involved in college athletics and to have a lasting impact on coaches and student-athletes," said Chapman. "The University of St. Thomas has a not only built a tremendous reputation, but to be a part of this historic transition with this incredible group of administrators, coaches, student-athletes and staff is truly special.
"Phil Esten is a leader that I've not only worked with for more than 10 years, but someone who I have a great deal of respect and admiration for. To be a part of his leadership team and have the opportunity to collaborate with him on a daily basis -- as well as collaborating with the rest of our leadership team -- was something that was very attractive."
Ben Fraser -- Senior Associate Athletics Director, Development
In summer 2021, Ben Fraser began his second year at St. Thomas as a Senior Associate AD. Fraser currently leads all Development efforts for Tommie Athletics, including donor and alumni relations, major gifts, and annual giving.
Fraser is implementing a comprehensive strategy for athletics fundraising that includes short-, medium-, and long-term fundraising plans and programs to meet current and future needs of the athletic department.
Fraser previously worked four seasons at the University of Minnesota, where he served in two different capacities within the athletics development office. Fraser spent two years as the Director of Annual Giving and Premium Seating before moving into the role of Assistant Athletic Director of Annual Giving and Engagement.
In the latter role, Fraser was responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating annual giving and preferred-seating activities for Gopher athletics. He developed the Gopher Loyalty Program, then a new annual fund and a first among NCAA Institutions. Additionally, Fraser managed a robust portfolio of major-gift prospects. He also oversaw the annual fund budget; premium seating at TCF Bank Stadium; scholarship seating renewals and donor parking; annual scholarship endowment naming process, and served as the liaison to all individual sport booster clubs.
A 2006 graduate of UW-La Crosse, Fraser was a four-year Baseball letter winner. He went on to earn his master's degree in Physical Education from Florida State University in 2007.
Fraser on what attracted him to St. Thomas and unique opportunities in his role to enhance the student-athlete experience:
"I am excited to be able to help work with our incredible alumni and supporters to be able to provide athletic scholarships for the first time at the University of St. Thomas," said Fraser. "Providing this aid will allow us to continue to expand our recruiting reach across the country and provide access to student-athletes who may not have normally had the opportunity to attend St. Thomas.
"There are very few times in your life, either professionally or personally, that you get to be a part of history. When the opportunity arose to help be a part of the team that transitions St. Thomas from Division III to Division I, it was something that greatly attracted me. That -- along with the incredible reputation of the institution, athletic department, and leadership team -- were all things I wanted to be a part of."
Jemal Griffin -- Senior Associate Athletics Director, Student-Athlete Welfare and Development
In the summer of 2021, Jemal L. Griffin began his third year as a St. Thomas Senior Associate AD, an opportunity to work again with Esten following their Penn State collaboration. He currently oversees the areas of sports medicine; strength and conditioning; life-skills programming; the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC); community outreach; academic support; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI); and student-athlete conduct. He also serves as the department's liaison to campus Residence Life and DEI Ambassador to the University's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
In addition, Griffin serves as the sport administrator for Tommie Football; Women's/Men's Swim-Dive; and Softball.
Griffin previously worked at Penn State University, where in 2014 he earned the title of Assistant AD and Chief of Staff for Nittany Lion Football. In that football role, Griffin retained oversight of the day-to-day administration including team travel; bowl trips; training camp; budgets; contract negotiations; facility upgrades; and assisted with non-conference game scheduling.
He also led the football administrative staff, which included 21 individuals in the areas of football administration, operations, player personnel, player development, administrative assistants, analysts, and consultants. He also served as the liaison in areas including compliance, human resources, residence life, dining services, law enforcement, Big Ten representatives, and NFL agents.
Prior to Penn State, Griffin served from 2011-14 in the same role with Coach James Franklin at Vanderbilt University. His duties again included overseeing daily administrative operations for the Commodore football program. He also managed the game-day timeline for the team, along with planning, organizing, and executing career and professional development opportunities for student-athletes and staff, and serving as the team's liaison to Nike and its representatives.
A native of Baltimore, Md., Griffin earned his bachelor's degree in Business Management from Coppin State University, where he was a four-year starter and two-time team captain for the Eagles baseball team. He was named to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) All-Tournament Team as a senior.
Griffin on what attracted him to St. Thomas and unique opportunities in his role to enhance the student-athlete experience:
"In my opinion, all great Colleges and Universities have two things in common - they have alignment within every level of the organization, from top to bottom. Starting with the Board and President to the folks who manage the smallest of details at the University. The second thing they all have in common is a desire to achieve at the highest level in everything they do," said Griffin. "They are not willing to sacrifice one facet of the institution so that another facet can achieve. It's important that all departments have the necessary resources to achieve. When my family was looking into the possibility of coming to St. Thomas, we were pleased to find these two characteristics here. When we coupled those with the student development approach to activities and education and the willingness within the university to collaborate, St. Thomas became very attractive to my family.
"The unique thing about my role is I get to create opportunities for learning with programming and new initiatives, like timely speakers based on current events. It also provides me an opportunity to maneuver based on the desires of the student-athletes. The flexibility is never ending and allows us to be creative in Student-Athlete Welfare and Development."
Jason LaFrenz -- Senior Associate Athletics Director, External Affairs
Jason LaFrenz joined Tommie Athletics in June of 2021 as Senior Associate AD. His duties include overseeing the department's brand management; marketing; strategic communications and public relations; and multimedia rights and sales. He also serves as the lead administrator in the partnership with Learfield IMG College, as well as the sport administrator for Women's and Men's Hockey.
LaFrenz most recently served as the Chief Marketing Officer of the Minnesota Lottery for the past four years. He began his time with the Minnesota Lottery in 2013 as the Director of Sales and Marketing before being promoted to CMO in 2017. In that role, LaFrenz was responsible for sales, marketing, branding, advertising, events, creative services, social media, and content. He led a re-brand of the Minnesota Lottery that included a new logo, products, a responsive website, digital media platforms, and a major media campaign that increased sales and total number of players.
LaFrenz also brought to St, Thomas his deep resume in sports, including intercollegiate athletics. He spent six seasons with the University of Minnesota (2006-12), where he served in multiple capacities, most recently as Associate AD, External Relations. He directed all the U of M athletics external relations including marketing; new media; ticket sales; customer service; communications; technology; licensing; and corporate sales.
A 1989 graduate of UW-Eau Claire, LaFrenz earned his degree in Business Administration.
LaFrenz on what attracted him to St. Thomas and unique opportunities in his role to enhance the student-athlete experience:
"I wanted to be a part of helping St. Thomas make the transition from Division III to Division I and building up the external pieces of the department to support the student athlete experience. I was also excited about working with Phil and others that I knew from my time at the University of Minnesota.
"In the time of transition, not only at St. Thomas but what is going on in the NCAA and the empowerment of student-athletes we have such a unique opportunity to create a top-notch student athlete, alumni and fan experience from the ground up."
Few collegiate athletic directors nationally have had to face the variety of challenges that Esten has navigated over his first 35 months in his role. One important task he has worked through: reorganization, expansion and fine-tuning of staffing across the entire department.
In building out a team to assist in the university's Division I transition, Esten has hired motivated and talented individuals while also improving diversity across St. Thomas Athletics. A true focus on diversity and inclusion, 20 percent of the athletic department's new hires under Esten are people of color, and 40 percent are female.
Another notable development has been Esten's ability to assemble a five-person senior leadership team of experienced, high-energy and driven administrators.
Whether contributing to big-picture vision or executing on essential details, Esten's leadership group has helped take our Division I path from a concept to a reality.
"I love our leadership team – they are all selfless, student-athlete centric, service-oriented individuals with tremendous college athletics and life experience," Esten said. "Equally as important, they each offer an impactful, yet unique, dimension of leadership to our athletics department. I'm grateful that we've been able to attract such an accomplished group of professionals, and I look forward to the future of Tommie Athletics."
All five of the current members of the senior leadership team are seasoned athletics professionals they bring extraordinary experience, and a variety of skill sets and experiences, primarily in college athletics but in some cases in professional and business organizations.
In addition to their tangible experience on their resumes, this group also bring an intangible of people skills and vision that help them connect with student-athletes, coaches and colleagues.
These five leaders alone bring more than 70 years combined collegiate experience, plus almost 20 years of experience in professional sports.
Here's a glance at each team member:
Amy Olson-Cooper – Senior Associate Athletics Director, Senior Women's Administrator
Amy Olson-Cooper joined the St. Thomas staff in fall 2021 as a Senior Associate AD. A native of Minneapolis, and a Washburn High graduate, Amy returned to the Twin Cities after serving in both coaching and administrative positions at every level (Division I, II, and III) of college athletics.
Among Amy's oversight responsibilities for Athletics' are business and finance; compliance; purchasing; and human resources. She serves as Senior Women's Administrator and the Department's Chief of Staff. She also has sport administration responsibility for Volleyball, Women's Basketball, Baseball and Women's Tennis.
She most recently served in a similar athletic administrative role at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She was tasked with the oversight of budget, travel and ticketing and also served as HR liaison and Senior Women's Administrator.
As a college soccer coach, she also was named the 2015 Division III Independent Soccer Coach of the Year, and trained multiple nationally-ranked players.
As a Division I student-athlete at Howard University, Olson was twice named All-Big South Conference and team co-MVP three times in soccer.
"St. Thomas has always had a solid academic and athletic reputation," said Olson-Cooper. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for the institution's commitment to the leadership and culture they are fostering on campus and in the athletic department. We are making history as the first institution to move all sports directly from D-III to D-I in the same year, and to be a part of that will be amazing.
Olson-Cooper on what attracted her to St. Thomas and unique opportunities in her role to enhance the student-athlete experience:
"Dr. Esten has done an outstanding job of assembling such a great leadership team with experts in each of their respective fields all working together to create the best future possible for St. Thomas student-athletes. In my role as Senior Women's Administrator, I have quickly realized that I have strong partners on this leadership team as we commit to give all of our female student-athletes the best possible experience as they represent our university.
"At St. Thomas, I also look forward to participating in our athletic Champion's Circle, a program St. Thomas started this year to provide intellectual and philanthropic support that will empower our student-athletes to be future leaders who think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully to advance the common good. In addition, I intend to create more programs within Tommie Athletics that will support our current and future student-athletes."
Cory Chapman -- Senior Associate Athletics Director, Internal Operations
In summer, 2021, Cory Chapman began his third year at St. Thomas as a Senior Associate AD and reunited here with Phil Esten after they worked together both at Penn State and Minnesota. In his Internal Operations role, he oversees the areas of facility operations; capital projects; event management; championships; special events; intramurals and recreation; equipment services; and ticket operations.
In addition, Chapman serves as the sport administrator for Men's Basketball; Women's and Men's Soccer; and Women's and Men's Golf.
Chapman previously worked four years at Penn State University as Associate AD, Facility and Event Operations. Chapman was responsible for home football game-day operations at Beaver Stadium and also supervised as event management; information technology; athletic grounds; the Penn State golf course; and was sport administrator for PSU Baseball. In those roles, he managed 30-plus full-time staff members, as well as budgets that supported Penn State's 31 varsity athletic programs and 14 athletic facilities. Chapman also managed and facilitated major maintenance and capital projects to enhance and support Nittany Lion student-athletes.
Prior to his time at Penn State, Chapman spent six years at another Big Ten institution, the University of Minnesota. Chapman started as the Operations Manager for the inaugural season of TCF Bank Stadium in 2009.
A native of La Crosse, Wis., Chapman holds a master's degree from Fort Hays State University and a bachelor's degree from Viterbo University. Chapman played collegiate soccer, beginning his career at Bethany Lutheran College, where he earned second-team All-America honors as a freshman before finishing his playing career at Viterbo.
Chapman on what attracted him to St. Thomas and unique opportunities in his role to enhance the student-athlete experience:
"Once my collegiate playing days were behind me, I quickly realized that I wanted to remain involved in college athletics and to have a lasting impact on coaches and student-athletes," said Chapman. "The University of St. Thomas has a not only built a tremendous reputation, but to be a part of this historic transition with this incredible group of administrators, coaches, student-athletes and staff is truly special.
"Phil Esten is a leader that I've not only worked with for more than 10 years, but someone who I have a great deal of respect and admiration for. To be a part of his leadership team and have the opportunity to collaborate with him on a daily basis -- as well as collaborating with the rest of our leadership team -- was something that was very attractive."
Ben Fraser -- Senior Associate Athletics Director, Development
In summer 2021, Ben Fraser began his second year at St. Thomas as a Senior Associate AD. Fraser currently leads all Development efforts for Tommie Athletics, including donor and alumni relations, major gifts, and annual giving.
Fraser is implementing a comprehensive strategy for athletics fundraising that includes short-, medium-, and long-term fundraising plans and programs to meet current and future needs of the athletic department.
Fraser previously worked four seasons at the University of Minnesota, where he served in two different capacities within the athletics development office. Fraser spent two years as the Director of Annual Giving and Premium Seating before moving into the role of Assistant Athletic Director of Annual Giving and Engagement.
In the latter role, Fraser was responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating annual giving and preferred-seating activities for Gopher athletics. He developed the Gopher Loyalty Program, then a new annual fund and a first among NCAA Institutions. Additionally, Fraser managed a robust portfolio of major-gift prospects. He also oversaw the annual fund budget; premium seating at TCF Bank Stadium; scholarship seating renewals and donor parking; annual scholarship endowment naming process, and served as the liaison to all individual sport booster clubs.
A 2006 graduate of UW-La Crosse, Fraser was a four-year Baseball letter winner. He went on to earn his master's degree in Physical Education from Florida State University in 2007.
Fraser on what attracted him to St. Thomas and unique opportunities in his role to enhance the student-athlete experience:
"I am excited to be able to help work with our incredible alumni and supporters to be able to provide athletic scholarships for the first time at the University of St. Thomas," said Fraser. "Providing this aid will allow us to continue to expand our recruiting reach across the country and provide access to student-athletes who may not have normally had the opportunity to attend St. Thomas.
"There are very few times in your life, either professionally or personally, that you get to be a part of history. When the opportunity arose to help be a part of the team that transitions St. Thomas from Division III to Division I, it was something that greatly attracted me. That -- along with the incredible reputation of the institution, athletic department, and leadership team -- were all things I wanted to be a part of."
Jemal Griffin -- Senior Associate Athletics Director, Student-Athlete Welfare and Development
In the summer of 2021, Jemal L. Griffin began his third year as a St. Thomas Senior Associate AD, an opportunity to work again with Esten following their Penn State collaboration. He currently oversees the areas of sports medicine; strength and conditioning; life-skills programming; the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC); community outreach; academic support; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI); and student-athlete conduct. He also serves as the department's liaison to campus Residence Life and DEI Ambassador to the University's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
In addition, Griffin serves as the sport administrator for Tommie Football; Women's/Men's Swim-Dive; and Softball.
Griffin previously worked at Penn State University, where in 2014 he earned the title of Assistant AD and Chief of Staff for Nittany Lion Football. In that football role, Griffin retained oversight of the day-to-day administration including team travel; bowl trips; training camp; budgets; contract negotiations; facility upgrades; and assisted with non-conference game scheduling.
He also led the football administrative staff, which included 21 individuals in the areas of football administration, operations, player personnel, player development, administrative assistants, analysts, and consultants. He also served as the liaison in areas including compliance, human resources, residence life, dining services, law enforcement, Big Ten representatives, and NFL agents.
Prior to Penn State, Griffin served from 2011-14 in the same role with Coach James Franklin at Vanderbilt University. His duties again included overseeing daily administrative operations for the Commodore football program. He also managed the game-day timeline for the team, along with planning, organizing, and executing career and professional development opportunities for student-athletes and staff, and serving as the team's liaison to Nike and its representatives.
A native of Baltimore, Md., Griffin earned his bachelor's degree in Business Management from Coppin State University, where he was a four-year starter and two-time team captain for the Eagles baseball team. He was named to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) All-Tournament Team as a senior.
Griffin on what attracted him to St. Thomas and unique opportunities in his role to enhance the student-athlete experience:
"In my opinion, all great Colleges and Universities have two things in common - they have alignment within every level of the organization, from top to bottom. Starting with the Board and President to the folks who manage the smallest of details at the University. The second thing they all have in common is a desire to achieve at the highest level in everything they do," said Griffin. "They are not willing to sacrifice one facet of the institution so that another facet can achieve. It's important that all departments have the necessary resources to achieve. When my family was looking into the possibility of coming to St. Thomas, we were pleased to find these two characteristics here. When we coupled those with the student development approach to activities and education and the willingness within the university to collaborate, St. Thomas became very attractive to my family.
"The unique thing about my role is I get to create opportunities for learning with programming and new initiatives, like timely speakers based on current events. It also provides me an opportunity to maneuver based on the desires of the student-athletes. The flexibility is never ending and allows us to be creative in Student-Athlete Welfare and Development."
Jason LaFrenz -- Senior Associate Athletics Director, External Affairs
Jason LaFrenz joined Tommie Athletics in June of 2021 as Senior Associate AD. His duties include overseeing the department's brand management; marketing; strategic communications and public relations; and multimedia rights and sales. He also serves as the lead administrator in the partnership with Learfield IMG College, as well as the sport administrator for Women's and Men's Hockey.
LaFrenz most recently served as the Chief Marketing Officer of the Minnesota Lottery for the past four years. He began his time with the Minnesota Lottery in 2013 as the Director of Sales and Marketing before being promoted to CMO in 2017. In that role, LaFrenz was responsible for sales, marketing, branding, advertising, events, creative services, social media, and content. He led a re-brand of the Minnesota Lottery that included a new logo, products, a responsive website, digital media platforms, and a major media campaign that increased sales and total number of players.
LaFrenz also brought to St, Thomas his deep resume in sports, including intercollegiate athletics. He spent six seasons with the University of Minnesota (2006-12), where he served in multiple capacities, most recently as Associate AD, External Relations. He directed all the U of M athletics external relations including marketing; new media; ticket sales; customer service; communications; technology; licensing; and corporate sales.
A 1989 graduate of UW-Eau Claire, LaFrenz earned his degree in Business Administration.
LaFrenz on what attracted him to St. Thomas and unique opportunities in his role to enhance the student-athlete experience:
"I wanted to be a part of helping St. Thomas make the transition from Division III to Division I and building up the external pieces of the department to support the student athlete experience. I was also excited about working with Phil and others that I knew from my time at the University of Minnesota.
"In the time of transition, not only at St. Thomas but what is going on in the NCAA and the empowerment of student-athletes we have such a unique opportunity to create a top-notch student athlete, alumni and fan experience from the ground up."
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