Taylor Stapleton - Senior Associate Athletics Director for Revenue Generation and Strategic Initiatives - SOFTBALL Support Staff

Taylor Stapleton

Title:
Senior Associate Athletics Director for Revenue Generation and Strategic Initiatives
Email:
taylor.stapleton@depaul.edu

Taylor Stapleton joined DePaul Athletics in November 2020 as Senior Associate Athletics Director and was elevated to Executive Associate Athletics Director in February 2022. He was promoted to Associate Vice President and Deputy Athletics Director in July 2025. As a member of DePaul’s executive leadership team, he leads all strategic and revenue-generating initiatives across the department, focusing on innovation, community engagement, brand development, and cross-campus partnerships.

Stapleton serves as the department’s strategic plan lead, collaborating with the department's Senior Leadership team to develop and execute DePaul Athletics’ five-year strategic roadmap. He also serves as a liaison to the Athletics Committee of DePaul University’s Board of Trustees. He oversees a portfolio that includes business and financial operations, capital planning, ticketing and data strategy, corporate partnerships, NIL strategy, technology and innovation, merchandise and licensing, and brand development. Stapleton also serves as sport administrator for the Blue Demons' men’s and women’s tennis programs and is an active member of the BIG EAST Conference Tennis Advisory Committee and the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Tennis Committee. Stapleton was named chair of the NCAA Men's Tennis Committee in June 2025.

Under his leadership, DePaul Athletics has delivered transformational progress through initiatives such as:

Brand Modernization: Revitalized DePaul’s visual identity—including the return of the iconic Billy Blue Demon vintage logo—leading to record merchandise sales and a 88% increase in royalties since 2021.
Digital Innovation: Spearheaded a sweeping digital transformation featuring the launch of a redesigned website, a new mobile app, fully digital ticketing, and a comprehensive digital marketing and automation strategy.
Capital Projects: Championed the advancement of two major capital projects totaling $60 million to enhance athletic facilities, while also delivering key upgrades such as new turf at Wish Field, renovated softball dugouts, and a state-of-the-art video board at Cacciatore Stadium.
Strategic Partnerships: Negotiated and implemented key external partnerships, including Taymar Sales U. for outbound ticket sales and JMI Sports as DePaul’s multimedia rights holder.
Revenue & Ticketing Strategy: Led a comprehensive modernization of DePaul Athletics’ ticketing and revenue strategy through a data-forward approach which modernized pricing, revised seating configurations, and updated benefit structures. The initiative resulted in record-breaking ticket sales and revenue across multiple sports, including the first-ever sellout at Wintrust Arena, the highest season ticket renewal rate in the venue’s history, the largest regular-season crowd for women’s basketball, and the first capacity crowd for men’s soccer. Volleyball, softball, and men’s soccer each achieved their highest revenue totals in school history.
Broadcast Expansion: Elevated production resources, capabilities, and visibility across multiple programs, culminating in a multi-year broadcast partnership with Marquee Sports Network to expand Midwest reach and brand exposure.
Community Engagement: Forged strategic collaborations with local professional sports teams (MLB, NBA, WNBA, MLS, NWSL) to create “DePaul Nights,” connecting students, alumni, and faculty with the broader sports community.
Fan Experience & Feedback: Enhanced brand awareness and engagement through significant marketing, advertising, and creative content investments. Championed fan-centric initiatives including virtual town halls, disseminating an annual strategic plan progress report, the DePaul Athletics Fan Council, and robust game-day feedback systems.

Prior to DePaul, Stapleton served as Senior Director of Provider Relationships and Education for Healthcare Business Media, where he brokered strategic partnerships with healthcare executives across the country. He was recognized for his talent in aligning people and resources and driving high-impact corporate collaborations.

Earlier in his career, he spent nearly eight years with the University of Kentucky Athletics Department, ultimately serving as Associate Director of Ticketing Strategy and Analytics. A core member of Kentucky’s revenue generation leadership team, Stapleton helped drive growth in ticketing, premium sales, and fundraising. He led key digital marketing efforts, piloted new technologies, and was instrumental in overhauling UK’s ticket pricing and venue reseating strategies, including Kroger Field and Rupp Arena.

A tireless advocate for innovation, fan engagement, and community partnerships, Stapleton is dedicated to generating the resources necessary to provide a world-class experience for DePaul’s student-athletes.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Athletic Ticket Sales & Operations (NAATSO), where he helps shape best practices for ticketing, sales, operations, and pricing in collegiate athletics.

Stapleton holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Kentucky and a Master of Science in Athletic Administration.