Georgia Southern Director of Athletics Jared Benko has announced the hiring of Allie Ware as the new Deputy Athletics Director for Development. In her role, which she begins on July 1, 2024, Ware will oversee the Georgia Southern Athletic Foundation - the chief fundraising arm of the department - and will have sports supervision.
"We are thrilled to announce that Allie Ware will be leading our Athletic Foundation and joining our leadership team at Georgia Southern Athletics," said Georgia Southern AD Jared Benko.
"Allie brings extensive experience and best practices from both public and private institutions, which will be invaluable here in Statesboro. Being a Georgia native, she appreciates the proud history of this University and the exciting future ahead for us. Her infectious personality and energetic approach to leading and impacting others will make a significant impact!"
Ware comes to Georgia Southern from Mississippi State University, where she joined the Bulldog Club as Assistant Athletic Director for Development and Major Gifts on Sept. 1, 2022. Over the past two years, she closed a combined 47 major gifts totaling nearly $4 million and managed a portfolio of approximately 250 prospects.
"I am thrilled and honored to be joining the Georgia Southern Family," Ware said. "I want to thank Jared Benko and the Georgia Southern Administration for this incredible opportunity. There is so much momentum in Statesboro, and there has never been a better time to be an Eagle! I am eager to get to work with our donors, fans, coaches and staff to continue the rich tradition and history of Georgia Southern Athletics. GATA!"
Prior to joining Mississippi State, Ware served as the assistant athletic director of Development at Yale from 2020-2022. While at Yale, she raised funds to support 35 varsity sports and capital projects. Additionally, she oversaw the stewardship program for all athletic donors.
Prior to Yale, Ware worked at Richmond, her alma mater, in Parent and Major Giving for the Spider Athletic Fund, first as Associate Director before being promoted to Director. At Richmond, Ware helped oversee the rebranding of Spider Athletic Fund which included the implementation of a philanthropic fundraising model. The results raised more than $5.2 million in 2019, a six percent increase from the previous year. In addition, the number of donors increased by 36 percent. The Spider Athletic Fund also contributed to over one third of funds raised in the second annual Giving Day, tallying nearly five times as much as the previous year's total. The athletics department total helped the University of Richmond as a whole raise $1.55 million dollars in the #URHere Giving Day event.
Before returning to Richmond, Ware spent four years at Mercer where she served as the Assistant Director of the Mercer Athletic Foundation and assisted in overseeing football game day operations, including parking, special events, and fan engagement. During her time at Mercer, Ware created the "Mercer Women's Athletic Endowment: Enhancing Opportunities and Impacting Leaders" to support the school's 10 women's varsity programs. The endowment was the first in the Southern Conference and one of the first of its kind in college athletics.
Prior to being promoted to Assistant Director of the Mercer Athletic Foundation, Ware served as the Development Assistant as well as the Director of Operations for the Mercer women's lacrosse team. She was responsible for all annual renewal mailings for Bear Plus members while also creating the Lettermen's Club, a giving society for former student-athletes.
An ardent supporter of Mercer's student-athletes, Ware was selected by the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as Mercer's staff representative on the All-SoCon Faculty and Staff Team in 2017.
Prior to arriving at Mercer, Ware served as a sales consultant before being promoted to senior sales consultant for the Aspire Group, a global sports and entertainment marketing firm that specializes in enhancing all revenue. She was responsible for overseeing ticket sales for NCAA Championships and the US Open. She also instituted Fan Experience Packages for the 2016 NFL Pro Bowl and was recognized twice as the top sales consultant within the company.
Ware was selected to serve on the Foundation Fund Committee for Women Leaders in College Athletics in April 2020. She assisted in the development and planning of fundraising events, initiatives, and planned-giving programs to ensure the continuation of the Women Leaders scholarship program via the Foundation Fund and the continuation of the Women Leaders Opportunity Fund.
A native of Alpharetta, Georgia, Ware graduated with a degree in Sociology from the University of Richmond in 2014. She earned her master's degree in Higher Education Leadership from Mercer University in 2016 and received a Sports Industry Essentials Certificate from Columbia University in 2018.
At Richmond, Ware was a four-year member of the Spider women's lacrosse team and served as a captain her senior year. In 2017, she was the first female from her high school (Milton, Georgia) to be inducted into its Hall of Fame. She was inducted into the US Lacrosse Georgia Chapter Hall of Fame in 2021.
The hiring is pending a final successful background check.
