Jesse Smith was named the Assistant AD for Development & Special Events in August of 2025.
In this role, Smith will assist in the development of annual giving goals and strategies for UW-Green Bay Athletics and the Phoenix Fund. He will also organize and execute special events to assist in fundraising activities in the department.
"We are excited for Jesse to join the Phoenix Phamily," Moon said. "He comes to us highly recommend from the Wisconsin Herd and UW-Oshkosh football and he knows this region very well. He will do great work with our donors and engage this community."
Smith joins the Phoenix after eight years with the Wisconsin Herd, NBA G League affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks. He helped launch the team during the Herd's inaugural season in 2017 as a Senior Account Executive working with businesses, families, and individuals on season ticket memberships, group outings, and suite rentals. In 2020, Smith was promoted to Director of Ticket Sales where he was responsible for leading the ticket sales department in strategy and revenue. In 2024, Smith was promoted to Director of Ticket Sales & Service officially adding Service, Ticket Operations, and Finance verticals to his role. During his tenure, the Herd was awarded the NBA G League Franchise of the Year (2022-23) and NBA G League President's Choice Award (2021-22) and the Milwaukee Bucks won the 2020-21 NBA Championship.
Smith added, "I am thrilled to join UW-Green Bay Athletics! The tradition and level of athletics, history, and community have been elite, and I look forward to making a positive impact on the success of this program. It is rewarding to know the efforts within the Development and Special Events department will directly enhance the competitive edge of the student-athletes, coaches, and staff as we pursue conference and national titles. I am thankful to be a part of the Phoenix Family!"
Prior to the Herd and during, Smith held the role of Director of Football Operations for the UW-Oshkosh Titan Football program for 10 seasons from 2013-2023 with 9 seasons under Head Coach Pat Cerroni and 1 season under Peter Jennings. At Oshkosh, he led the recruiting, operations, and event execution efforts for the program. During his tenure, Smith organized gameday recruit visits for over 600 prospective athletes and their families, on-boarded 500 commits through the creation of the Commit Player Orientation event and managed a database of 20,000 recruits. Smith's impact assisted in a record of 76-25 (.752 winning percentage) during his tenure.
Smith graduated from UW-Oshkosh in 2014 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing, minors in Spanish and Radio/TV/Film, and an emphasis in Sales. He currently serves on the Winnebago County D.A.R.E. Board. Jesse is an Oshkosh, Wis. native and his wife Ashley is a Johnson Creek, Wis. native, who are the parents to their daughter Avery.
