SPARTANBURG, S.C. – University of South Carolina Upstate Athletic Director Daniel Feig announced Lenny Mathis has been hired as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Operations on Thursday.
 
"I am so excited to welcome Lenny, his wife Amanda, and their three children back home to Spartanburg and to USC Upstate," said Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Daniel Feig.  "Lenny has over 17 years of external relations experience in college athletics and he has had tremendous success growing the profile and fan base at each institution along the way.  His experience and knowledge of Spartanburg and the Upstate area will serve him well as we seek to elevate our athletic department to match the growing profile of our University and region." 
 
"I am excited to join the USC Upstate family at a time of tremendous energy at both the University and in Spartanburg," Mathis said. "For my family, this is a homecoming to a community we hold dear and a place we were interwoven in for almost 15 years. I'm grateful to Dr. Kelly and Daniel for trusting me with this opportunity and look forward to engaging with all our constituents to take Upstate athletics to new heights."
 
Mathis comes to USC Upstate after having served as the Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing at Wake Forest University for the past two years. While at Wake Forest, Mathis led all athletic department marketing initiatives, while focusing much of his efforts on the men's basketball and football programs.
 
Prior to his work at Wake Forest, Mathis was the Associate Athletic Director for Marketing at Wofford College from 2003-2017. While at Wofford, Mathis coordinated all athletic department marketing efforts, including the creation and implementation of numerous marketing campaigns such as "Let's Go" and "Conquer and Prevail," among others.  He also sold corporate sponsorships and advertising for a number of years, and spearheaded the coordination of numerous major events for the athletic department. 
 
During his time in Spartanburg, Mathis cultivated many relationships with members of the local media and area youth sports leaders to drive public relations programs and ticket sales.  Mathis was also very active in the community, serving as the board chairman and the public relations coordinator for the Carolina Miracle League from 2003-2017. Over that same time span, Mathis likewise served as a board member and Co-president of Spartanburg Young Professionals, and from 2010-2012, he was the Co-chair of the Arts X Society of the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg. For both positions, Mathis' Co-president and Co-chair was his wife, Amanda.
 
Mathis has also been recognized nationally by his athletic marketing peers for his professional successes.  In 2015, he won the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrator's (NACMA) Gold Award for the single day attendance promotion category, and in 2013, he won a pair of awards for his "Black & Gold Bowl" Youth Football Night and his football schedule poster design. 
 
Mathis is a 2000 Honors graduate from the University of South Carolina.  Mathis is married to Amanda Mathis, and the couple has three children, son Tripp (5), daughters Virginia (4), and Vivian (2).