Although change is inevitable, the unknown can be nerve-racking. But not for Dawn Rogers.
 
Rogers has embraced change throughout her career, and her attitude and adaptability in navigating it has made her the successful administrator she is today.
 
"Change is hard, but usually something good comes out of it at the end," Rogers said.
 
Growing up on a farm, Rogers felt drawn towards caring for animals and had her sights set on becoming a veterinarian. After being in school, she quickly realized that career path was not the right fit. Instead of being fearful from the uncertainty of switching paths, she boldly followed her love for sports as a student at Ithaca College and further with a sports management master's degree at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
 
Her love for sports led her to be engaged with significant events and organizations like the NCAA Final Four men's basketball tournament and the Fiesta Bowl, where she serves on the Board of Directors.
 
Through pursuing a career in sports administration, Rogers discovered her passion for creating a meaningful student-athlete experience. This has driven her to many successful moments in her career, beginning with her first role as Assistant Athletic Director at the University of Akron.
 
"The student-athlete experience is important to me," Rogers said. "It's why I'm excited to walk in the door every day for my job."
 
In the positions she has held in various athletic departments, Rogers has seen school resources like mental health counseling change the lives of student-athletes.
 
"Making sure you have the support network for the challenges that student-athletes face is essential," Rogers said.
 
Among many things, Rogers is in charge of meeting with athletes and ensuring they have a safe place to express their honest feelings about their mental health.
 
"I get the opportunity to work with young men and young women who come in and get the chance to get an education and be an elite student-athlete, but also grow as a person," Rogers said.
 
She said this process looks different for each student, but the impact it can have on their sports career, education, and growth as a person is immense.
 
Rogers' noteworthy career path has led her to positions at Arizona State University (ASU), Baylor University and Southern Methodist University (SMU), where she recently started a new role as Deputy Director of Athletics for Internal Affairs in January 2023. Though the majority of her career has been spent in higher education, Rogers led the charge for a historic event in Arizona in 2016 and 2017.
 
During her time at ASU, Rogers collaborated with other professionals to craft a bid for the NCAA Final Four Men's Basketball Tournament to be held in Phoenix for the first time. The bid was successful, and Rogers was named the CEO and Executive Director of the Phoenix Final Four Local Organizing Committee in September 2015.
 
"I loved being able to lead a tremendous team that executed the 2017 Phoenix Final Four tournament at such a high level," Rogers said. "To see the community come together around that event was incredible."
 
A few years after planning and executing a Final Four, Rogers then oversaw a men's basketball program that won the 2021 NCAA Tournament when Baylor captured its first-ever national championship. Rogers was exhilarated experiencing "both sides of the coin" in planning and then participating in one of the NCAA's premier events.
 
Rogers' commitment to student-athlete welfare goes beyond her time as an athletic administrator at numerous universities. She has also served on several cabinets and committees focused on evaluating school programs to ensure the best resources and programs are available for student-athletes.
 
"Just going to college, in general, is a challenge," Rogers said. "I look back on my years and there is so much freedom and it's hard to make decisions on your own."
 
That's why Rogers was drawn to the Fiesta Bowl in 2017 -- she noticed that athletes who played in the game were regarded with respect and given the best treatment by those in the Fiesta Bowl Organization.
 
"To be part of an organization that provides the very best opportunity for student-athletes to come and compete and provide hospitality for them, is something that I am really proud to be involved in," Rogers said. 
 
Being on the Board of Directors at the Fiesta Bowl has given Rogers the opportunity to continue to educate herself through other board members who contribute their expertise to the organization.
 
"Making sure that we take the time to understand each other is really important," Rogers said. "I believe in diversity of thought, and diversity from a gender and race standpoint. We function better when we have different ideas that are infused."
 
Rogers strives to infuse her expertise on diversity and inclusion into her role with the Board of Directors. Each member presents new knowledge and ideas to create the best experience possible.
 
"It's a privilege and an honor to be involved in this organization," Rogers said. "It promotes the state, provides this elite experience for the teams, the fans, and the coaches, and impacts the community all year."