Jay Vickers serves as Associate Athletics Director for the UNLV Rebel Athletic Fund (RAF), where he helps lead philanthropic strategy, donor engagement, revenue generation, and relationship development in support of UNLV's student-athletes and championship aspirations. In his role, Vickers is focused on expanding the Rebel Athletic Fund's donor base, cultivating transformational philanthropy, strengthening engagement with alumni and supporters, and connecting UNLV Athletics with the business and philanthropic community of Las Vegas and beyond.
Vickers has more than 20 years of senior leadership experience across intercollegiate athletics, philanthropy, revenue generation, business development, strategic partnerships, and organizational leadership. His return to the Rebel Athletic Fund brings him back to an organization he previously helped transform. From 2010–2012, he served as Associate Athletic Director for Athletic Development at UNLV, directing RAF operations, major gifts, annual giving, donor engagement, and strategic revenue initiatives. During his tenure, major gifts and pledges increased 150%, generating more than $2 million in new contributions, while donor participation grew 64% and annual giving increased 36%. He also helped restructure men's basketball priority seating, generating approximately $500,000 in new revenue.
Throughout his career, Vickers has held senior athletics leadership positions at the University of Wisconsin, Northern Illinois University, the University of Arizona, and Fresno State. At Wisconsin, he managed athletic development and ticket operations representing approximately $60 million in annual revenue and helped lead the final phase of an $85 million capital campaign. At Northern Illinois, he served on the department's senior leadership team, overseeing revenue-generating units and football administration. Earlier in his career, at Fresno State, he secured several of the program's largest gifts in athletics history, including commitments of $2 million and $1.5 million. With Learfield | IMG College at UNLV Sports Properties, he generated more than $800,000 in corporate sponsorship revenue, exceeding his assigned sales goal.
Prior to returning to UNLV Athletics, Vickers served as Director of the UNLV Sports Innovation Institute within the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality. His leadership helped advance the organization from an initiative to an officially recognized institute within the Nevada System of Higher Education. Among his signature accomplishments were securing a $3.25 million federal appropriation supporting education, research, and innovation; creating the first fully funded Super Bowl internship program of its kind, which secured more than $350,000 and provided paid experiential opportunities for 40+ UNLV students; and co-founding SEI*Con, a national sports, entertainment, and innovation conference that launched with nearly 800 attendees and more than 100 speakers.
A former University of Notre Dame football student-athlete and first-generation college graduate, Vickers earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Notre Dame. He brings an athlete's competitive mindset and a servant-driven leadership philosophy to his work, with a career centered on building relationships, creating opportunities, generating resources, and helping organizations and people achieve their full potential.
Vickers is also a founding member of Game Changers United, the U.S. Soccer Federation's advisory group focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and has remained actively engaged in initiatives designed to strengthen leadership, opportunity, and access throughout the sports industry.
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