TEMPE, Ariz. – Deana Garner Smith has been named a Senior Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator for Sun Devil Athletics, Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson announced.
Garner Smith comes to Arizona State with more than 15 years of experience in athletics administration at both the amateur and professional level. She was most recently with the National Football League, where she spearheaded its domestic violence, sexual assault and gambling education, among other issues, and used her experience to change policy. Garner Smith served as the Director of Player Security Services and Player Engagement Education for the NFL.
“Deana brings a unique blend of experience and expertise to our administration,” Anderson said. “Her recent work centered on many of the social issues facing the NFL will be an invaluable asset in a collegiate setting and her time with the NCAA will allow her to make a seamless transition into the amateur realm. Not only will she help strengthen Sun Devil Athletics, but she will also serve as a great role model for all of our student-athletes.”
Garner Smith also spent nearly 10 years with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (1999-2008) and brings a wealth of knowledge in NCAA policy and enforcement, game integrity, policy administration, life skill advancement, and professional and amateur athletics development, as well as investigative expertise.
“This step in my career is illustrative of two of my biggest passions in life: Positively impacting young people and helping enhance communities,” Garner Smith said. “It was clear from the moment I stepped on campus that family values, a commitment to service and a drive to be excellent permeate throughout the department. I can’t wait to put on the maroon and gold, and get to work.”
Garner Smith coordinated and led NFL domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse educational efforts from 2012 -2015, as well as orchestrated and convened the NFL Domestic Violence Summit, which brought together national experts to share best practices regarding education, prevention, policy and engagement strategies. In addition, she convened and co-led the NFL DUI Summit, which helped implement proactive educational techniques designed to raise awareness and prevent incidents among NFL personnel, and she organized and led the NFL/MLB Sports Wagering Summit, which brought together numerous sports leagues, law enforcement departments and gambling industry experts, among others, to proactively address legal, policy, education, addiction, and game integrity best practices.
Garner Smith, who served as an Associate Director and Agent for Gambling and Amateurism Activities at the NCAA, headed gambling, athlete agent and amateurism investigations and educational awareness programming within the NCAA enforcement department. She provided leadership direction and compliance training of key NCAA legislation for key stakeholders across collegiate and professional athletics, including student-athletics and administrators, and she managed and conducted several high profile NCAA rules investigations. In addition, she led several change initiatives and educational forums related to sports wagering, athlete-agent legislation and amateurism matters, and was responsible for the design and execution of department outreach strategy with law enforcement, industry regulators, sports league professionals and athlete agents.
Garner Smith spent eight years as a deputy prosecutor in the Marion County attorney’s office in Indianapolis. She managed a number of criminal investigations and cases related to domestic violence, as well as oversaw the Department of Justice’s Weed and Seed Grant, which was a community-based strategy designed to prevent, control and reduce violent crime, drug abuse and gang activity in targeted high-crime neighborhoods.
From 1996-98, Garner Smith worked for the Indiana Gaming Commission as staff counsel for gambling activities.
Garner Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dillard University in New Orleans and a Juris Doctorate from Indiana University. She was admitted to the Indiana Bar Association, and is a past member of the American Bar Association, American Gaming Association and the Sports Lawyers Association. She earned a Wharton School of Business NFL Athletic Development Professional Certificate in 2012, and has been named to Sports Illustrated’s “Most Influential Minorities in Sports” list.