SMU names Maryland interim AD Colleen Sorem as Executive Deputy AD
Former interim Maryland athletic director Colleen Sorem has been named the Executive Deputy Athletics Director at SMU, Director of Athletics Damon Evans announced on Wednesday.
Sorem will serve as the Chief Administrative Officer for SMU Athletics and lead and manage all administrative operations for the department budget, the release said. In addition, Sorem will be responsible for Human Resources, Legal Affairs and will assist with day-to-day operations for athletics. She will also evaluate revenue streams and provide strategic financial guidance.
“Colleen has consistently demonstrated great leadership and innovation throughout her career,” Evans said. “Her understanding of intercollegiate athletics and its changing landscape will make her an incredibly valuable part of our executive team. I am looking forward to working with her as we build upon the Mustang momentum.”
Sorem comes to SMU after 11 years at Maryland, where she served as interim athletic director following Evans’ departure to the Hilltop. Prior to that she served as Maryland’s Senior Deputy Athletic Director/Chief Operating Officer. She added the role of COO in July 2023 after being named Deputy Athletic Director in July of 2018. In the spring of 2025, Sorem was appointed to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee.
At Maryland, Sorem supervised the football and women’s basketball programs and was responsible for implementing strategies for internal and external initiatives, including revenue generation, contract negotiations, football scheduling, creating operating efficiencies, enhancing the student-athlete experience and ensuring continued acclimation into the Big Ten Conference.
A graduate of James Madison, Sorem developed and implemented a new financial model for long-term financial stability and assisted with the oversight and construction management of the $196M New Cole Field House project, including Jones-Hill House. SMU’s in the process of evaluating the future of Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Evans told On3 earlier this summer.
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The Manassas, Va. native’s time at Maryland included oversight of business operations, facilities, events and operations, human resources, and information technology. Sorem played a key role in the new multimedia rights agreement ($30M increase) and managed financing solutions technology enhancements at XFINITY Center ($5M), a baseball turf ($2.5M) and a new volleyball ($1M) locker room. Sorem served as the Associate Athletic Director for Business Operations from 2014-2016.
Prior to Maryland, Sorem was the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Finance and Operations at Towson.
She spent four years at Florida Gulf Coast University, overlapping with current SMU Men’s Basketball coach Andy Enfield, serving as Assistant Athletics Director and then Associate Athletics Director for Business Operations. She joined the FGCU staff in 2008 after six years at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, finishing as Assistant Athletics Director for Business Operations.
Sorem graduated from JMU in 2000 with a bachelor of science in kinesiology and a minor in business, before obtaining her masters in sports administration at the University of Alabama in 2002.
