When attending a Wesleyan Cardinals’ event, there are dozens of people working behind the scenes that make it possible for student athletes to shine. One of these people is Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Event Operations Jeff Place. When not corralling excited fans and making sure the fields are game ready, Place takes care of the background work that helps the Red and Black succeed. The Argus sat down with Place to discuss his journey in athletics, how he ended up at Wesleyan, and some of his fondest memories working with the Cards. 

The Argus: What is your official title?

Jeff Place: My title is pretty long. The joke is it doesn’t really fit on a business card. So it’s Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Event Operations. So when I say event operations, that’s games, rental events, any community events that go on here. Internal[ly]: intramural sports, club sports. Anything that happens within our facilities, I help oversee. 

A: Can you go in detail about what your responsibilities are?

JP: I help manage the logistics and the operations for 30 varsity teams, all of our programs here, as well as different initiatives and community events that we have going on in other partnerships. Mainly external rentals, any camps and clinics that our coaches put on, I help arrange all the logistics for those. So that deals with the registration process and the insurance process. And then facility upkeep and maintenance, working with grounds and cleaning crews physical plant on campus. It’s a lot of moving pieces, but it’s very rewarding.

A: What does your average schedule look like [day to day]?

JP: It varies week to week and it’s very fluid, given the amount of activity that we have from a varsity standpoint. So as part of my role, I’m one of three administrators that helps supervise all of our varsity contests on campus. Some weeks are heavier than others. With varsity games, I always say the busier I am, the better, because that means our teams are playing better. For example, in the next coming weeks, we’re going to be hosting NESCAC Men’s Basketball, and we’ll also be hosting the NCAA Northeast Regional Wrestling Tournament. We’ll have 18 teams here in the [Bacon] Field House. So it gets pretty busy.

During the school year, it’s dealing with more varsity events, varsity games, student activities, arranging for practices and games that way. But then, as we transition into the summertime, a lot of people think we’re able to take the summer off, which is typically not the case in our role. From an operations standpoint, we then transition into external rentals and events. So the camps and clinics that I was talking about, and then our pool is a very big draw in the state. Throughout the course of the summertime, we have about 13 or 14 swim meets lined up. So it’s a lot, even in the summertime, when the regular academic schedule isn’t active. We’re still pretty busy.

A: How did you get into wanting to work in sports?

JP: I’ve been around athletics my entire life. My dad played college football. My mom was a runner. She’s run multiple marathons. I had an uncle play football at Brown, I have like 50 first cousins who are all involved in athletics somehow. So I just grew up around it. When I graduated from my undergrad degree, I was involved in football my entire time at the University of Maryland. The work environment in athletics, the constant movement and the collaboration between individuals, is very unique to the field and I enjoy it. I’m a proponent of working within a team and I enjoy being able to see what hard work and dedication produces. 

A: How did you end up at Wesleyan?

JP: I ended up trying the real world. I worked in a charter school system in Bed-Stuy, [Brooklyn], for a couple of months before leaving to get involved with Yale [University] Football as a recruiting and operations assistant. After three years, I had worked my way up to assistant director of football operations and recruiting. It’s a lot of mundane work: arranging food, travel, lodging, stuff like that. The more I interacted with administration, the [more] interesting it became because it seemed like it presented opportunities for growth and bigger challenges. That’s when I started looking at some [Graduate Assistant (G.A.)] positions and wound up at Springfield College as one of their G.A.s within the athletic department. I interned a couple of times at Wesleyan throughout undergrad and grad school, and this position opened up during my last year at Springfield, and I was encouraged to apply. I was fortunate to come out on the other side with the position, so it was a full circle moment for me. I grew up in Glastonbury, Conn., and I went to Xavier High School, so I’ve been around my entire life. It’s been great to be in a familiar environment with a position I enjoy and people I’m able to work with very well. I’m very fortunate.

A: Is there any sport in particular you found yourself surprisingly enjoying knowing that you didn’t know before coming into this?

JP: I’m a little partial to my experiences with [women’s] crew. I have such a deep appreciation for what they do and the hard work they put in every day. They’re unbelievable, terrific people and very dedicated individuals. I got a chance to serve as a tournament director for NCAA Field Hockey. Again, I’m just in awe of the dedication. It takes a special individual to be able to balance a full academic course load as well as athletic responsibilities. As much as I’d like to single out one sport, I appreciate the effort every single one of our student athletes puts into being the best version of themselves. They are special people, and I can’t say I prefer one [sport] over the other because their commitment is second to none.

A: What would you say is the hardest part of your job?

JP: Dealing with different personalities from all these groups that use our facilities that don’t quite understand the operation and what it takes to put on a successful event can be a little challenging at first. But it just takes a little bit of legwork and to be able to speak with individuals and develop a relationship. And I think the more time and effort you put into getting to know someone and really trying to collaborate with them rather than telling them what to do, [the more it] pays off in the long run and helps you address those challenges when times get tough.

A: What’s something about your job that people wouldn’t necessarily expect?

JP: There are times where I’m out there with our crew when things get busy, maybe putting in a baseball fence, or shoveling some snow. This position is like a jack of all trades. Whatever needs to be done in order to ensure [a] positive outcome for our student athletes, I’m all for it. Whether that means me sitting at my desk putting a spreadsheet together, or grabbing a snow shovel and getting out there, or putting a baseball fence in, I’m all for it. However I can help, I’m ready to do that. 

A: Do you have a favorite memory that you’ve really enjoyed being a part of since being here?

JP: I go back to the NCAA experiences I’ve had while I’ve been here. Being able to travel and then serve as a tournament director for field hockey, it’s really cool to be able to have those experiences. To be able to showcase the work that our facility staff has put in and [that] our administration is putting into facility development was really cool. And to be able to have that game out there was great. And I’ll always go back to my experience with our women’s crew team. The travel was cool, but being able to see the smiles on their faces at the end of the trip made it all worth it. It was great to be able to contribute in small ways to that experience. 

A: What are some goals you have in this role for our athletic program broadly?

JP: The end goal is always to contribute and enhance the student-athlete experience. So whatever I’m doing on a daily basis when I’m setting my agenda figuring out what needs to get done, I’m really asking myself, “How does this impact our student athletes?” That’s the focus. And how are we putting ourselves as a department in a better position to help our student athletes succeed on and off the field? Personally, I love what I’m doing here. It’s a terrific experience, probably the most impactful department I’ve worked in athletics. The goal for me, personally, is to be an athletic director someday. So I’d love to make it happen here if that were a possibility. The community is great. But that’s more of a long-term thing. The short really is just we’re here for the student athletes, and anything I can do on a daily basis to help them is always the priority. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Erin Byerly can be reached at ebyerly@wesleyan.edu.