Portland State Athletics named Leah Thyne as its new Associate Athletics Director for External Operations in September 2022.
Thyne comes to Portland State after spending nine years at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a similar urban-campus Division I institution. While there, Thyne spent three years as Director of Marketing and Fan Experience, then the past six years as Assistant Athletics Director of Marketing and Fan Development.
"We are excited to have Leah join our Viking Team,” said Director of Athletics John Johnson. “Her experience at an urban Division I institution as well as at the professional sports level makes her a terrific fit for PSU Athletics. All of us look forward to benefiting from her expertise and outstanding work ethic as we embark on continuing to elevate our program within the Big Sky Conference and the NCAA."
As Director of External Operations at Portland State, Thyne will take on oversight of all Marketing, Ticketing and Fan Experience elements of the Viking program, which includes sales, branding, creating new revenue streams and increasing fan engagement. She will also be a member of the senior administrative team.
“I am incredibly excited for the opportunity to join the Viking family and to begin working with the tremendous student-athletes, coaches, staff and supporters of Portland State University,” said Thyne. “I look forward to working with the University and the community in continuing to enhance the Viking brand and make a positive impact within the city of Portland.”
Among the many initiatives Thyne implemented during her time at Milwaukee were the United We Roar brand campaign, the Panther Athletics Advisory Committee, which helps develop strategies to enhance the student fan experience, the creation of PanthersGear.com, the department’s online merchandise store, and Pounce’s Pals Kids Club.
Prior to working at Milwaukee, Thyne spent four years as the assistant athletic director for marketing and external relations at UW-Whitewater, where she managed all social media outlets, implemented Willie’s Kids Crew program and oversaw all aspects of game management, among other duties.
Thyne also honed her skills working in sales and marketing with both the Milwaukee Bucks and Beloit Snappers.
A four-year letter winner as a member of the UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team, Thyne earned a bachelor’s degree in business at UWW, then a master’s degree in sports management and marketing from Indiana University.
