Army West Point Athletics and the West Point Association of Graduates Announce New Athletics Development Hires

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Army West Point Athletics Department (AWPAD) and the West Point Association of Graduates (WPAOG) announce eight new hirings and promotions within the Athletics Development office, two of which include staff promotions. The transitions and staff additions included national searches to enhance the department's organizational efficiency in developing strategies for fundraising and revenue growth.

"During the search process, our priority was to find the right leaders to complement our already talented team, specifically, those who have a proven track record in the industry and who want to be a part of the momentum we are building here at Army West Point," said Senior Associate AD for External Operations, Tom Theodorakis. "I am excited to welcome our new staff members in our continued effort to provide an extraordinary Division I athletics experience for Army West Point cadet-athletes."

Hirings and Promotions, include:

Bianca Gureralp –Assistant AD – Army A Club
- Gureralp is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the Army A Club annual fund. She will now oversee a staff charged with executing all aspects of the annual fund including donor/alumni events, communications, and administration of donor benefits.
- Gureralp has been promoted from her previous role as the Associate Director of Ticket Operations at Army West Point. In her previous role, Gureralp served as the primary ticket operations manager for football and all online ticket platform operations. Gureralp comes from the University of Notre Dame, where she served as a Ticket Services Coordinator and then was promoted to Associate Director of Ticket Operations. During her time there she oversaw ticket operations for women's basketball, women's soccer, and baseball. She also played an instrumental role in transitioning football player guest tickets to go fully mobile. Prior to Notre Dame, she served as a Marketing & Ticket Office Assistant at Yale University.
- She received two degrees from the University of New Haven a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management and a Master of Business Administration.

Brendan Desautels –Director, Sport Specific Giving
- Desautels will manage the development, implementation, and execution of a comprehensive sport specific fundraising strategy aligned with Athletics and WPAOG campaign priorities.
- Desautels comes to Army West Point with extensive experience serving most recently in roles with the Washington Nationals and Notre Dame Athletics. Brendan is a graduate of Assumption University where he served as captain of the Baseball team. After Assumption, he earned a Masters Degree from the Mendoza College of Business at Notre Dame.

Christine Castro, - Director of Donor Engagement
- Castro will be responsible for the planning and execution of Army West Point Athletics, Army A Club, and sport-specific donor events throughout the year
- Castro has over 10 years of experience in the hospitality, events, and sports industry – this includes a proven-track record of managing relationships with staff at all levels, partner organizations, external stakeholders, and suppliers for both in person and through virtual events. She has worked with several recognizable organizations, last with the United States Tennis Association as the Manager of National Volunteers and Event Logistics. Other experiences include working with the United States Tennis Association, Fed Cup & Billie Jean Cup Tennis Tournaments, and Major League Soccer.

Stefan Louis –Assistant Director, Operations
- Louis will assist with the general operations of the Army A Club and development office – specifically will work on gift operations, lead generation, and assist with gameday and event operations.
- Louis joins Army West Point following stints at Hofstra University and Adelphi University, providing experience in various areas including events and facility operations. Louis completed his undergraduate degree from Marymount University with a bachelor's degree in health sciences, and master's degree in sports management from Adelphi University.

Assistant Director, Army A Club
- The Assistant Director roles will provide the highest level of customer service in managing a list of donors and prospects and actively identify, cultivate, and solicit gifts for the Army A Club
  - Hunter Brandt
    - Brandt has been promoted to Assistant Director after serving the role of Assistant Director of Ticket Sales at Army West Point. Previously Brandt worked at Marist College where he served as the Athletic Operations/Compliance Assistant. During his time at Marist, he oversaw the season tickets and game day ticket sales for men's and women's basketball, the Nike and BSN contacts, the Marist College Athletics Pro Shop, and assisted in all home game facilities and operations. Brandt graduated summa cum laude from SUNY Cortland with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management and a concentration in Facility and Event Management and received his Master of Science in Sport Management from SUNY Cortland.
  - Abbie Griffiths
    - Griffiths joins us as an Assistant Director recently graduating from Purdue University where she spent three years in their development department. During her time at Purdue, she oversaw their digital marketing, developed new communication structures, and assisted in operational events like donor travel trips with men's basketball and football. Griffiths graduated dean's list at Purdue with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and a Bachelor of Science in General Management.
  - Ryenne Scott
    - Scott previously interned at Montefiore St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh as a Development Intern where she was tasked with securing donation items and coordinating events. After her time at Montefiore St. Luke's, she joined the Newburgh Enlarged City School District where she served as a Substitute Teacher for the last three years. Ryenne graduated cum laude with her Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communications from Hampton University and received her Master of Business Administration from North Carolina A&T State University.
    - Queen Vaz Djassi
      - During her time at UConn, Queen served several roles, such as academic Coaching for men's basketball, Marketing Game Day Assistant, and volunteered as the Program Director of Community Partner Relations (Community Service Days). She also served as an intern for the Husky Fund (athletic development office) while being among the few selected students to participate, most recently in the NCAA Foundation of the Fundraising Program.
      - Vaz Djassi has an accomplished background with over 15 years of professional basketball experience. She was a Division I international student-athlete at the University of Central Florida who played professionally overseas in several countries. She holds two master's degrees, one in Sports Business from the Manchester Metropolitan University (U.K) and the other in Sports Management from the University of Connecticut.

Army West Point Athletics

Army West Point Athletics and the West Point Association of Graduates Announce New Athletics Development Hires

Related Videos