UVU | Associate Athletic Director – External Operations | Orem | 33
Kick it with Matt Potts — literally. As associate athletic director, his proudest professional accomplishment thus far has been working with UCCU to fund a new soccer stadium on UVU’s campus, a $25 million project that will completely transform UVU’s soccer programs and provide Utah County with an incredible venue to watch high-level games. Goal! Fun fact: he started working for UVU’s athletic department while still a student there! Now, Matt oversees the revenue generation team within the athletic department, which means he’s shin-guard-deep in the community, collaborating with local businesses for sponsorship opportunities, ticket sales and charitable giving. Matt’s got game, and he’s not backing down.
MAIN MOTIVATION Working to provide a life for my wife and two little kids. Outside of that, I consider myself lucky that I get to work on projects that help grow UVU. I am a graduate of UVU, so I feel like I am giving back to the university. PERSONAL GROWTH I came to Utah from California to learn how to fight fires and drive ambulances. While I grew up in a very sports-oriented family, I didn’t ever consider the possibility of working in college athletics. I just happened to stumble on a part time student job in the athletic department here at UVU. My first job at UVU was running the scoreboard at events. As other opportunities within the department opened, I found myself learning new skills and I feel very fortunate that my career has progressed the way it has. SHARPER SKILLS Networking. I remember attending one of my first networking events and it seemed like everyone there already knew each other. It was very intimidating. Fortunately, the more I’ve been to different events and seen people around, I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better and actually enjoy learning about the different people I get to associate with. CAREER DREAM My ultimate career dream would be to be an Athletic Director somewhere. Hopefully college athletics is still around when that opportunity comes (joke, kind of). PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS Calendaring time to work on your to-do list; trying to align your work with your passion; finding a work-life balance that works for you. GOOD BIZ ADVICE “Leave some for the next guy.” I learned from a mentor that there will be plenty of opportunities to suck every penny out of every deal, but he’s found success in defining a level of comfort with any deal and being okay if you leave a few things on the table.