BOCA RATON, Fla. – Brian White, Florida Atlantic University’s vice president and director of athletics has been named to the prestigious Sports Business Journal Forty Under Forty 2023 Class, as announced by the SBJ on Monday.
“I’m honored to be included on such a distinguished list,” said White. “This is a testament to the great work of our staff, coaches and student-athletes, who I am fortunate enough to work with and represent. Thank you to the SBJ for recognizing Florida Atlantic’s collective successes.”
Since 1999, SBJ has recognized more than 900 exemplary leaders across sports for their outstanding contributions to the industry. Many of the past recipients are among the most influential executives in sports today. All 2023 honorees will be featured in the June 26 issue of SBJ, where the stories of their careers and successes are told. They will also be recognized at the annual Forty Under 40 gala on October 20 at The Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
White assumed his position on March 3, 2018, and has spearheaded the Owls’ growth and has led the program through both its most trying time, the global pandemic that saw all intercollegiate athletics put on pause, and through the program’s most exciting and unifying times, through bowl championships and an appearance in the 2023 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four.
In the Fall of 2021, White was instrumental in accepting an invitation to join the American Athletic Conference and will officially begin competition in the new league in July of 2023.
FAU has also seen facilities upgrades under White’s leadership. The Schmidt Family Complex for Academic and Athletic Excellence, a $72 million project, which opened to rave reviews in 2020. The Schmidt Family Complex houses the football program and the department’s academic support staff. The Schmidt Family Complex features one of the most spacious strength and conditioning spaces in the State of Florida.
At FAU Stadium, there is a new football gameday locker room, training room and equipment room. Brand-new state-of-the-art locker rooms for the men’s and women’s basketball teams debuted in 2022. New LED lighting has been added to FAU Baseball Stadium and numerous renovations are scheduled for the Tom Oxley Center, FAU’s Olympic sports hub as well.
With a background in fundraising and external relations, White was able to help FAU make immediate strides in in those areas during his first year on the job. FAU rebranded from the Owl Scholarship Fund to the Paradise Club and was able to increase giving to 275% compared to the previous year while also growing membership by 25% in 2018-19. Overall, FAU saw giving increase to 630% of the previous year. In 2019-20, Paradise Club giving grew to 300 percent of the previous year’s fund-raising total. White’s team launched the We Believe In Paradise initiative in December of 2020, and the initiative led to a 30 percent increase in donor participation in the Paradise Club in just four months. In addition, two separate gift commitments of more than $2 million were pledged to FAU Athletics in 2020.
That success has continued throughout White’s tenure. Fiscal year 2022 saw overall giving to athletics grow to just less than $7.2 million, a significant increase from the previous year. In addition, Paradise Club giving increased by more than double, to nearly $1.3 million. Since White took the helm in Paradise, FAU Athletics has generated 24 six-or-seven-figure gifts, including eight in fiscal year 2022 alone. Those 24 gifts are the most of that amount in any four-year span of FAU Athletics’ history.
FAU Athletics’ culture of academic success has continued to grow under White’s leadership. FAU student-athletes have put together a streak of 15-consecutive semesters (as of Fall 2022) with a department-wide grade-point average of 3.0 or better.
The Owls have had unprecedented success throughout athletics since his arrival and continue their ascent most recently with an appearance in the NCAA Final Four. Nearly every program has spent time among the nation’s highest ranked teams and continue to play host to the collegiate elite, all while #WinningInParadise.
