Miami Athletic Fund Announces Four Additions

OXFORD, Ohio – Miami's AVP for Development/Associate AD, Revenue Generation Brad Okel announced the addition of four staff members to the Miami Athletic Fund. Joining the RedHawks are Chase Collins, Katie Hiltbrand, Jon Lipsitz and Jared G. Willis.

Chase Collins, Director of Development/Assistant Athletic Director
Collins, a graduate and former member of the Miami football team, joins the RedHawks after spending the past six months as the Executive Director of the Red Brick Legacy. While with RBL, he managed the name, image and likeness collective for Miami University and identified new donor opportunities within the Miami community.

"I'm incredibly excited to join the Miami Athletic Department and give back to a university that has meant so much to me," said Collins. "As a proud Miami Football alum, this opportunity is both professionally rewarding and personally meaningful. My family and I are thrilled to be part of the Miami community and to contribute to the continued success of RedHawk Athletics."

Prior to that, he worked as a National Account Manager for Lexis/Nexis Risk Solutions from 2016-2025. He worked daily to strategize with teams across departments to recognize ways to grow, while driving new business into their territory.

"Adding someone like Chase, with private sector experience and a personal stake in Miami's success, strengthens our entire team's ability to connect with alumni and donors," said Matt Kuhn, Miami's Senior Director of Development/Assistant Athletic Director. "His time as a student-athlete here as well as his time working with the Red Brick Legacy collective gives him a real understanding of the impact our work can have, and that insight will help him be successful."

He has also spent time with Lexis/Nexis as a Telephonic Client Manager (2012-16) and as a Sales Development Representative (2011-12).

Collins completed his health and sports studies degree from Miami in 2010.

Katie Hiltbrand, Administrative Assistant
Hiltbrand joins Miami after spending the past two years at Life.Church in Oklahoma City, Okla., as a project manager. She managed the budget, maintained a global event calendar for the ministry, coordinated all-staff events and high-capacity programing across 45 locations.

"I'm thrilled to join Miami Athletics and be part of a team that opens doors for our student-athletes to succeed," said Hiltbrand. "I love the way athletics promotes a lifestyle of wellness, and I'm excited to use my influence to support these young leaders as they grow, compete and make an impact on the world around them."

She has also spent time as a Youth Pastor (2020-23) and Project Leader (2020) at Life.Church in Rio Rancho, NM.

"Katie's enthusiasm and fresh perspective are a welcome addition to the Miami Athletic Fund," said Okel. "She brings a great attitude to every task and has quickly shown a strong ability to support our internal needs as well as the alumni and donors we serve."

Hiltbrand received her degree in agricultural leadership from Oklahoma State in 2019.

Jon Lipsitz, Director of Development/Assistant Athletic Director
Lipsitz joins the RedHawks after a 30-year career in the soccer profession. He most recently spent time as the Director of Soccer for Cincinnati United (2022-24) and also worked as the Director of San Ramon FC National Premier League (2019-22) and a Women's Soccer Assistant Coach at the University of Cal Berkeley (2017-19).

"I'm truly excited for the opportunity to join the Miami University Development team and contribute to its mission of excellence and impact," said Lipsitz. "My sincere thanks to Brad Okel and Matt Kuhn for their time, insights and support throughout this process. I'm deeply grateful for the warm welcome and can't wait to get started—Love and Honor!"

Lipsitz spent eight years (2009-16) as the head coach for the women's soccer program for the University of Kentucky. He helped lead the Wildcats to their first NCAA Tournament win in 2012 and a year later did the same with a victory over Ohio State. He has also coached at Charlotte (2005-08), Ohio State (2001-04) and Denison (1998-01).

"Jon is someone whose career reflects a commitment to both student-athletes and the broader athletics community," said Kuhn. "He knows what it takes to build relationships, lead with integrity, and elevate a program's potential. I am thrilled to have him join the team!"

Lipsitz graduated with a bachelor's of science degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina in 1993. He earned a master's of education from Ohio State in 1998.

Jared G. Willis, Associate Director of Development/Assistant Athletic Director – Miami Athletic Fund
Willis comes to Miami after serving as the Assistant AD for Advancement at Western Michigan since 2022 and was the Associate Director of the Bronco Athletic Fund since 2020. While with the Broncos, Willis was part of a team that raised over $80 million in support of WMU student-athletes. He led the day-to-day operations of the annual fund, while also having oversight of priority seating and parking for four major WMU sports.

"I'm absolutely thrilled to be joining University Advancement and Intercollegiate Athletics at Miami University," said Willis. "I can't wait to connect with our incredible campus community and the dedicated supporters of the Miami Athletic Fund as we work together to make a lasting impact in the lives of our student-athletes. Love and Honor!"

He has also spent time with premium seating opportunities for football, men's basketball, women's basketball and hockey.

"Jared brings both a genuine enthusiasm for college athletics and a knack for building relationships," said Okel. "His past work in growing alumni involvement and strengthening outreach makes him a strong addition to the Miami Athletic Fund."

Prior to WMU, Willis was a Development Assistant at Kansas State from 2018-2020. He was part of a team that raised $44.4 million in 2019 and oversaw premium seating and parking sales and operations for five revenue sports.

Willis began his professional career at Western Kentucky as a Development Assistant from 2017-18. In his short stint with the Hilltoppers, Willis executed a 50/50 raffle that raised $150,000 and added another $1.69 million in philanthropic giving in 2017.

Willis completed his sport management and business administration degree in 2016 and added a M.B.A. with an emphasis on accounting and data analytics in 2018 from WKU.

Miami Athletic Fund Announces Four Additions

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