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When Brittany Meade was interviewing for an associate director of athletic facilities and events role at Florida State University, she got a call from her old college softball coach, Lonni Alameda, whom she played for at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Alameda was now the head coach at Florida State and asked Meade the same question the hiring team interviewer had asked her.
Why hadn’t Meade mentioned that she had played under Alameda?
“I wanted to get the job on my own accord,” Meade remembers. “I wanted it to be about my experience and what I would bring to the table.”
No shortcuts. No backdoors. That’s what you get with the now assistant athletics director of facilities and sport operations at UNLV. The Rebel came home to her alma mater to tackle new projects, including facility upgrades and renovations, and ensure student athletes at the university have access to the best conditions possible when it’s time to play.
Meade first came to UNLV as a student-athlete herself. She sustained a back injury her freshman year, which set her back but she didn’t let the experience define her. On the academic side, Meade first pursued a degree in kinesiology with the intention of becoming a physical therapist. But having to work through that therapy on the patient side during her freshman year convinced her that it wouldn’t be the kind of professional life she wanted.
“After doing so much physical therapy, I never wanted to do it again,” Meade says, laughing. “So I just completely changed my path.”
That kind of experience can throw some students into panic. When an entire life plan changes, especially at an age where so much feels undecided, it can create chaos. Fortunately, Meade had people in her corner who thought she would make a greater player in the facilities and events world. She started interning in any department that would take her, from compliance to game operations.
Facilities just fit Meade’s personality.
“I love being behind the scenes, and I love thinking through the mitigation of problems,” Meade says. “We talk about problems day in, day out, and you have to have the mindset of facing those problems and being able to provide solutions. Coaches don’t want to hear about your problems. They want to see you being proactive in finding a way to fix it.”
Meade’s D1 college experience runs deep, even this early in her career. She’s worked in the Big 12 (University of Arizona), the ACC (Florida State University), and her present home in the Mountain West division at UNLV. That variety of experience has offered her the chance to work within different budgets and different priorities, and she’s found ways to thrive in every situation.
“My title is my title, but I’m going to get out there if that’s what we need.”
Brittany Meade
The facilities and event pro is obviously working with a smaller budget than the Power 4 conference schools, but Meade says that just means she’s learned to work with more creativity and resourcefulness.
“We may not have the same resources at our disposal as a Power 4 program, but we are doing everything we can to support the experience and compete on a national level,” she shares.
Her team at UNLV is currently in the middle of a multiyear, $150 million capital campaign that includes renovations of major facilities and the building of new ones. Meade says addressing weight room renovations, training rooms, and other immediate needs for student athletes is a priority.
Meade says mentorship and opportunities have been critical for her own success in the field, and while being a woman in the space may be rarer than it should be, she’s found mentors in advocates across the board.
Meade says she’s benefited from opportunities and mentorship from men and women alike. “Sure, there have been some tough moments that maybe I wouldn’t have experienced if I were a man, but I just tend to focus on proving myself, dealing with the situation, and finding a way to succeed,” Meade shares. “Here at UNLV, I’m more than willing to get out on the field and do some groundswork. You just find ways to help and grow, however you can. My title is my title, but I’m going to get out there if that’s what we need.”
For student athletes who have begun to consider life after sports, Meade has some fantastic advice. Athletics have been such a strong part of your identity. You don’t have to become a completely new person, but instead, take what you’ve learned and what has made you and learn how to apply it in a different way. You’ve learned how to multitask, succeed in an environment that relies on teamwork, and how to be self-motivated. Those skills are applicable in almost any field.
And maybe most importantly, you don’t have to know exactly what you want to do right now.
“I’m almost forty, and I’m still not sure what areas I want to grow into,” Meade says. “Don’t be afraid to knock on some doors at your university. Learn about what they do. You never know what you’re going to be passionate about until you discover it.”
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