Longtime collegiate athletics administrator Dawn Rogers has been named Executive Director and CEO of the 2017 Phoenix NCAA Basketball Final Four.
Rogers, former Senior Associate Athletic Director at Arizona State University, was selected by the Phoenix Local Organizing Committee (PLOC), which will work with the NCAA to execute the Final Four, set for April 1 and April 3, 2017 at University of Phoenix Stadium. Rogers is responsible for overseeing PLOC operations and collaborating with the NCAA leading up to the Final Four, to be played in the West for the first time since 1995. The PLOC will collaborate with Arizona State University, the host institution, and community partners to support the Final Four’s myriad ancillary events and to establish legacy projects that will ensure the lasting impact of the Final Four in the Valley.
“The PLOC search committee unanimously selected Dawn for her leadership skills and deep experience in college basketball,” said Tom Sadler, President and CEO of the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority. “As co-chair of the Phoenix Final Four bid, she was a natural choice. She did an excellent job of building widespread community support for Phoenix’s bid and will ensure that Phoenix sets a new standard of excellence for the Final Four.”
“I am honored to lead the effort to host the iconic NCAA Men’s Final Four for the first time in Phoenix, the nation’s premier destination for elite sporting events,” Rogers said. “We have an outstanding team of professionals across the region who have dedicated their time and resources to bring the games to the desert, and together we will host a spectacular weekend of events in April 2017. I am excited to take my passion for student-athlete welfare and ensure that the student-athletes, coaches and fans will have an unforgettable experience in Phoenix.”
Rogers has been a co-chair of the PLOC since 2007. She spent nine years at ASU as Senior Associate Athletics Director and Senior Women’s Administrator after serving as Athletic Director at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has served on numerous NCAA cabinets and committees. During Rogers’ tenure at Arizona State, the university hosted three NCAA Men’s Basketball regionals in the past eight years. Rogers and her husband Rob have two children, Owen and Hazel and reside in Phoenix.
“We are delighted to have Dawn serve as executive director of the Phoenix Local Organizing Committee,” said Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s vice president of men’s basketball. “This is an important position responsible not only for the planning of the Final Four and the many activities that will take place in the area during that time, but also for the lasting impact this event leaves on host cities. Dawn’s has the talent and determination to help make our inaugural Final Four in Phoenix one to remember.”
The 2017 Phoenix Final Four will cap a three-year run of mega sporting events in Arizona, a key driver in the state’s economy. Final Fours have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact for host cities; New Orleans reported $135 million in economic impact in 2012 and Atlanta reported $70 million in 2013.
