Judd Norris to become executive director of Jayhawk Community Partners

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas has selected a talented leader to oversee its corporate partnerships and sponsorships efforts.

Judd Norris, formerly the vice president of global partnerships for Legends/ASM Global, will become the new executive director of the university's Jayhawk Community Partners unit.

In this role, Norris will lead both Jayhawk Community Partners in its work to develop corporate partnerships and the continued evolution of Jayhawk Hospitality, the university’s campus event management unit. 

"Judd’s background positions him to immediately help our leadership team with administrative transformation efforts, particularly our strategic focus on revenue-generating activity that benefits the university’s academic mission," said CFO Jeff DeWitt. "In doing so, he will undertake a variety of cross-organizational projects, working in concert with other senior leaders both locally and nationally."

In his most recent role with Legends/ASM Global, Norris was responsible for onboarding global and domestic leagues, professional sports teams and entertainment entities, as well as integrating new partners to drive revenue expansion and growth. This included managing relationships with high-profile clients such as Verizon, USAA, Tiffany & Co., PetSmart, the Cleveland Browns, Major League Rugby, Cirque du Soleil and the L.A. 2028 Summer Olympic Games.

Prior to that, Norris served as senior vice president for corporate partnerships for the Arizona Super Bowl LVII Host Committee; vice president of corporate partnerships for the Arizona Diamondbacks Major League Baseball organization; general manager of Legends Entertainment District; and vice president of corporate sales for the Phoenix Coyotes Hockey Club.

Norris and his wife, Rebecca, are both native Kansans and lifelong Jayhawks fans. They have three children, one of whom is currently a freshman at KU.

"This is an exciting and transformative time at KU, and I expect Judd will expand the executive director position to include new KU units and partners," DeWitt said. "For sure, Judd will work closely with partners such as Kansas Athletics, the Memorial Union, KU Endowment and the KU Alumni Association. Additionally, consistent with Chancellor Girod’s 'One KU' initiative, we will ask Judd to expand his office’s work to include KU Medical Center and The University of Kansas Health System."