CavFutures is excited to announce a new addition to the team, Kellie Booth, who will serve as Director of Marketing, Media & Athlete Engagement. Kellie is from Charlottesville, Virginia and grew up a UVA sports fan. She attended Cornell University where she studied Sociology with a focus on sports media and inequality studies, and also captained the Women's Varsity Polo team.

While attending Cornell University, Kellie spent several years working with Cornell's Athletic Communications department. She focused heavily on creative communication and video production, but also spent time assisting with ESPN broadcasts and social media strategy. While a student-athlete, she contributed to student-led sports media organizations, including Big Red Sports Network, where she served as Director of Video and produced several short form documentaries.

Most recently, Kellie completed her master's at the McIntire School of Commerce where she focused on branding, marketing and business strategy. She also utilized her final year of eligibility to compete for UVA while pursuing her graduate degree.

"I've always had a goal of working in sports media in a place where I can have a positive impact, both for the athletes I work with and my community," Kellie said, and working with CavFutures and CavFutures Foundation has provided an avenue for me to pursue work I'm passionate about while getting the chance to work with amazing student-athletes, organizations and staff." She describes her background in sociology driving her passion to make an impact through sports, and credits her time as an athlete for developing her work-ethic. "I think it's important to be an advocate for the student-athletes we work with," she explained, "they have so many responsibilities to balance and it's our responsibility to provide NIL opportunities that contribute to lifelong success."

When asked about the continuously changing landscape of NIL, Kellie explained that she's proud of the unique approach CavFutures has taken at the University of Virginia. "When thinking about NIL at the University of Virginia, my dad said it best when he said 'It's not about what you get, it's about who you become' and I firmly believe that the NIL strategy here at CavFutures can be inclusive of the entire student-athlete body when we think about a holistic approach. Yes, we pursue traditional marketplace NIL deals and yes, we want to contribute to a competitive athletic department, but ultimately we want to use these NIL opportunities to help student-athletes leave UVA with the skills and network they need to have long-lasting success."

We're excited to see what the future holds for Kellie at CavFutures, and are proud to officially welcome her to our team.