The Ole Miss Athletics department has strengthened their administration by promoting Neal Mead to Senior Associate Athletic Director for Facilities, Events and Capital Projects, as announced on Thursday by Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter.
“We are excited to elevate Neal’s leadership and impact in our department,” Carter said. “Neal has been an integral part of our success in gameday operations, always going above and beyond, whether implementing safety protocols, addressing fan issues that arise, working with outside partners or leading our concert planning. We know he will bring that same work ethic and creative thinking to our facilities management and capital projects.”
Serving Ole Miss Athletics for nearly a decade, Mead came to Oxford in 2015, and most recently held the title Associate AD for Event Management. In his new role, he will take on additional oversight of the day-to-day operations of athletic grounds and facilities while also developing and leading capital improvement building projects.
“I am deeply honored by the opportunity to serve in this role and expand my areas of responsibility,” Mead said. “My time at Ole Miss has been incredibly rewarding, and I look forward to continuing our tradition of excellence by enhancing our facilities and leading impactful capital projects. I am eager to collaborate with our talented team and further contribute to the vision and success of Ole Miss Athletics.”
During his time with Ole Miss, he has led a team of seven full-time staff and over 30 student workers. Mead and his department have been responsible for the overall planning, implementation, communication and execution of all Ole Miss Athletics’ internal and external events.
Mead originally joined the Rebels as assistant director for event management in 2015 prior to being elevated in 2017.
Prior to Ole Miss, Mead spent seven years at Southern Miss with a large majority of that time spent as the assistant director for facilities and event management. At USM, Mead provided oversight for all university athletic facilities, including a 36,000-seat football stadium that included 36 luxury suites and two premium seating areas.
Mead earned his bachelor’s degree from Southern Miss in sports administration in 2005 and a masters in 2007 in sport management.
Neal and his wife Shawnboda have two sons—Christian and Nolan. Dr. Shawnboda Mead also serves Ole Miss as the Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Community Engagement.
