Palm Beach Atlantic University Athletics

Michael Brown serves as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Operations for the Sailfish Athletic Department.

He began his tenure at PBA in 2007 while serving on the department’s senior leadership team as an Assistant A.D./Associate A.D. since 2010. His efforts and impact on Sailfish Athletics were recognized by the campus community in August 2016 when he was named the Palm Beach Atlantic University Employee of the Year for the 2016-17 academic year.

Brown provides leadership and administrative oversight in the areas of game management, corporate partnerships, marketing and promotions as well as branding initiatives. He also oversees facility management and operations of the 76-acre Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Athletic Campus as well as the 32,000 square foot Rinker Sports Center.

His role on the PBA Athletics senior leadership team saw Brown play a vital role in the design and construction of the Rinker Sports Center which houses coaches offices, locker rooms, team meeting space, athletic training room, weight room, laundry and equipment room as well as a large hospitality space. The nearly $9 million dollar facility opened in August, 2017.

In addition to his day-to-day duties Brown has also served as a search committee chairperson for the hiring of new coaches and athletic staff while assisting the Director of Athletics with sport supervision assignments. Brown currently serves as the direct sport supervisor of Palm Beach Atlantic’s nationally-ranked men’s soccer team, baseball team, beach volleyball, men's lacrosse, as well as the men’s and women’s golf programs.

His role overseeing game management for all Sailfish home contests has included serving as Tournament Director for all NCAA and Sunshine State Conference postseason events hosted by Palm Beach Atlantic as well as serving as Tournament Director for the NCCAA Softball World Series which the university hosted from 2008-10.

In 2012 Brown led the charge to develop the first-ever corporate sponsorship program for the Athletic Department and has seen steady growth in this area of support for PBA’s 17 varsity programs as a fundraising arm of the Sailfish Booster Club. He has also provided leadership in overseeing the Sailfish brand while acting as a departmental liaison to other areas of campus including alumni relations, media services, marketing, development and student activities.

It was in 2011 that PBA made the decision to re-brand the Sailfish athletic logos as Brown was instrumental in the design and implementation of these new marks. He continues to provide oversight of these marks in conjunction with the Universities relationship with Learfield Licensing.

Brown is currently the chairperson of the PBA Sports Hall of Fame committee while also serving on various other committees that support the Universities overall mission. He also serves on the Sunshine State Conference Marketing Committee.

Brown came to Palm Beach Atlantic after serving as the Sports Information Director at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa. A member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as well as the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC), Brown oversaw the athletic communications efforts for 17 varsity sports and nine junior varsity teams. 

An alumnus of Indiana Wesleyan University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Brown began his experience in the sports information field as a student at IWU. During this time, Indiana Wesleyan athletics experienced unparalleled success at the conference and regional levels, winning four straight commissioner’s cups for the Mid-Central Conference. He completed his master’s degree in athletics administration from the University of California-Pennsylvania in August, 2010.

Beyond his experience in intercollegiate athletics, Brown has also spent considerable time working in professional and amateur baseball. During 2005, Brown spent his summer working for the Charlotte Knights, the Triple-A affiliate of the eventual 2005 World Series Champion, Chicago White Sox. While working for numerous departments throughout the season, Brown’s focus was mostly in baseball and stadium operations. 

Brown’s next stop on the minor-league baseball circuit was in Fort Wayne, Indiana where he spent time working for the San Diego Padres Single-A affiliate, the Fort Wayne Wizards (now known as the Fort Wayne TinCaps). During the summers he now serves as a Public Address Announcer for the Single-A affiliates of the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Fla.

He has also assisted with the hosting of numerous tournaments for USA Baseball and their junior national program in Palm Beach County.   

Brown is a past member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (COSIDA) and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).