DeWayne Peevy became the Vice President and Athletic Director at DePaul University in the Fall of 2020 after serving in senior administration roles at the University of Kentucky. Peevy shares an institutional profile of DePaul and then we walk back the transition from a school like Kentucky to now leading DePaul and what he learned from UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart in his 12 years that helped prepare him to lead his own department. Peevy shares the story of why he felt it was the right time for him to become an athletic director as a black administrator in an influential leadership position in the industry. Moving back to the vision for DePaul, Peevy talks about the benefits and challenges being a D1 athletic department in the crowded city of Chicago. As someone known for building incredible sporting events like the CBS Sports Classic, Peevy closes out the conversation talking about the future of those types of events for other sports, too, and how regular season popularity will continue to build in sports like women’s basketball, softball, baseball and soccer.

• 0:00 Introduction
• 01:26 Institutional Profile
• 04:00 Working for Mitch Barnhart
• 08:05 Decision to Pursue AD Job Finally
• 15:20 Advice for Navigating Direction & Priorities of an AD Job Opening
• 19:02 Investing in Human Capital Despite Having Less Resources
• 22:27 Co-Existing in a Crowded College Sports City (Chicago)
• 26:32 Creating a Major Women’s Basketball Regular Season Event
• 30:31 How to Match Regular Season Popularity w/ Post-season Excitement in Women’s Basketball, Softball, Baseball & Soccer
• 35:35 Day One Mentality at DePaul Athletics