Banks Shepherd joined the Fiesta Sports Foundation as Vice President of Partnerships in September 2026. He brings over fifteen years of revenue generation experience in college sports and a proven ability to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with key industry and community stakeholders.
Shepherd most recently served as general manager of the sports properties at Wake Forest University and Tulane University for the last six years as part of the LEARFIELD partnerships team. In those roles, he oversaw corporate sales, partner activation and multimedia rights programs for both athletics departments, leading each program to school-record partnership revenue outcomes.
Prior to Tulane, Shepherd spent four years as manager, business development with Tar Heel Sports Properties, LEARFIELD's team dedicated to University of North Carolina athletics, and held similar roles for the athletics multimedia rights teams at Baylor and LSU.Â
Originally from Jackson, Miss., Shepherd earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi in 2009, a master’s degree in sports administration from Belmont University in 2011 and an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School in 2019. Shepherd was named to the Ole Miss Alumni Association Top 40 Under 40 Class, received the Winston Under 40 Leadership Award, and was a member of Emerging Leaders by Greater Winston-Salem Inc.
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- Hometown:Â Jackson, MS
- Alma Mater:Â Ole Miss; Belmont for Master of Sports Administration; UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School for MBA
- Favorite Book: Bad Blood, Billion Dollar Loser or A Time to Kill
- Favorite TV Show: Succession
- Interesting Fact: Lived in 6 different states as an adult
- Surprisingly good at:Â Graphic design and content production
- Favorite college football stadium: A night game at Tiger Stadium needs to be on every college football fan’s bucket list
- Which college football stadium would you like to visit the most:Â The Swamp
- Which college football game in history would you attend: I’d relive 2014 Alabama vs. Ole Miss
