Shepard Named Altius Partner Services Manager for Gamecock Athletics

SHEPARD NAMED ALTIUS PARTNER SERVICES MANAGER FOR GAMECOCK ATHLETICS

Joe Shepard has been hired by Altius Sports Partners as the University of South Carolina’s name, image, likeness (NIL) team partner services manager.

In his role, Shepard will work closely with Hilary Cox, associate athletics director for administration, with an extensive focus on the Gamecocks’ student-athlete NIL efforts.

Shepard’s responsibilities center on identifying, securing, and executing NIL opportunities for student-athletes across all sports.  He will work directly with local and regional brands to increase NIL opportunities through innovative and sustainable partnerships.

“We are excited to welcome Joe to Altius,” said Brittney Whiteside, vice president for collegiate partnerships at Altius.  “He is joining us at a time of rapid growth and unlimited opportunity. He has the experience and relationships in the greater Columbia area necessary to make an immediate impact in maximizing NIL opportunities for Gamecock athletes.”

Altius Sports Partners, a leader in the NIL space, provides consultation and support to South Carolina Athletics as well as other institutions across the country

“I am excited to be a part of the Altius Sports Partners team, a leader in the NIL space, and working with the University of South Carolina NIL team,” said Shepard. “Both the Altius and Gamecock teams are full of bright minds with an exciting vision for the future of the NIL landscape. I look forward to working with Gamecock student-athletes to provide opportunities to build their brands in innovative and meaningful ways.”

Shepard will also recruit businesses to join the Gamecock Exchange, which is powered by INFLCR and launched this summer.  The service is free to both the student-athlete and the business and acts as a central marketplace for NIL opportunities and reporting.  Interested businesses can register for the Gamecock Exchange by visiting www.GamecocksOnline.com/GamecockExchange.

University of South Carolina continues to lead the way in innovative strategies for campus NIL programming. Shepard joins the Gamecock NIL team that also includes Park Ave, a subsidiary of Everett Sports Marketing. Park Ave is an in-house marketing agency created exclusively for South Carolina athletes that provides Gamecock athletes with exclusive access to deal procurement, content generation, and branding services.

Shepard spent the previous 10 years working in Minor League Baseball.  He joined the Columbia community in 2015 as the director of ticketing operations for the Columbia Fireflies, a franchise that began play in April of 2016, promptly winning Ballpark of the Year at the Single A level. He oversaw the day-to-day Box Office operations with a sales focus dedicated to building relationships in the Midlands.  Prior to Columbia, Joe was with the Savannah Sand Gnats from 2012 through 2015.

A native of Syracuse, N.Y., he is a 2011 graduate of SUNY Cortland with a degree in sport management.