Auburn Game Face

Written by: Amy Weaver

For Kristi Phillips, Auburn University is both home and family.

An Auburn, Alabama, native, Phillips is a third-generation Auburn graduate, following in the footsteps of her grandfathers, who were professors back in the day, and her father, who played golf for the Tigers in the 1970s.

“It’s definitely in my blood and a special place for my family and I,” she said.

These days, Phillips is living her best life with Auburn Athletics. As the assistant athletics director for donor services, she oversees the premium operations for men’s basketball, equestrian and football. This involves the management of the premium spaces in Neville Arena, the Auburn University Equestrian Centerand Jordan-Hare Stadium, ensuring guests have the best gameday experience.

“I want people to leave here, whether they’ve come here every year for 10 years or whether it’s their first game, feeling something special,” she said. “I want them leaving here talking about the way they were treated, the food they had, what ice cream bar they had. All of those little things.

“I definitely am not a factor in if we win or lose, but I think that it’s really important for people to leave with a positive feeling. It creates a fan base that wants to come back, that wants to be loyal. And we need people in the seats to create that atmosphere that we have. I’ve heard people say Auburn is one of the toughest places in the country to play basketball, and that is because of the people here, the environment we have for them.”

Phillips also manages five budgets within Tigers Unlimited, as well as all the communications and materials for the Tigers Unlimited Board of Directors. Additionally, she collaborates with the Athletic Director’s Club, a group of volunteers who work in the premium areas, and hires, trains and manages the Tigers Unlimited Ambassador group, which is about 50 students who also help on gamedays.

“Blair DeCoux, the director of donor services, and I are a great team, and I couldn’t do any of my job without her,” admitted Phillips. “We are constantly thinking of new ideas to make gameday fun and memorable, and we enjoy working together to serve the Auburn Family.”

In order for donors of Auburn basketball to have the best gameday experience, Phillips and many others do much work before the season begins. For instance, Phillips said she and DeCoux meet with local businesses to select a variety of caterers to offer their fare at different times throughout the season.

On a home basketball gameday, Phillips doesn’t get to see much of the game, as she is occupied with managing guests and operations for the 12 suites in Neville Arena, the food in the scholarship lounge and donor customer service. She really only watches away games.

But the chaos is par for the course for Phillips.

“My passion is people, and it brings me great joy to create experiences for our donors on gameday and through special events,” she said. “This job is a lot about relationships. I love seeing the same families each year and getting to know them. My goal is to continue to produce new ideas to make things special and create unique experiences that people will remember forever.”

This passion for people took Phillips away from the Plains, albeit briefly.

After earning her first Auburn degree—a bachelor’s in public relations in 2007—Phillips left for an internship at the American Junior Golf Association. It seemed like a perfect start for Phillips. Since she grew up around golf, thanks to her father’s athletic ability, it was natural for her to work in the sport and desire a career with the PGA Tour.

The internship happily turned into a full-time job for Phillips, but her love for Auburn was too strong to resist.

“I loved working with golf,” she said. “I also knew how much I loved Auburn, so I decided to return home to see what opportunities there were for me in Auburn while combining my love for sports and for Auburn.”

Back on the Plains in 2008, Phillips began her Auburn career as a recruiter for the College of Human Sciences. She then served as an admissions advisor in the Office of Undergraduate Recruitment.

“It was such a fun job, traveling to different places and telling people about Auburn,” she recalled. “I enjoyed it and got to know so many people all over campus.”

This role didn’t involve sports, but it did allow Phillips the opportunity to complete a master’s degree in higher education administration. With a concentration in sports management, she met a lot of people in athletics, which ultimately helped her get her first job in Auburn Athletics in 2011.

Over the last 12 years, Phillips has had different titles in Auburn Athletics, but her responsibilities have always revolved around people, providing guests with the best gameday experience at Auburn.

It keeps Phillips quite busy, especially when basketball and football seasons overlap, and work weeks are twice as hectic.

“My girls, who are 9 and 6, often get to tag along and help me, and they think my job is pretty cool,” she said with a smile.

In the fall, Phillips is rarely in the office because her duties require her to be at Jordan-Hare Stadium or Neville Arena. In the spring, she is busy planning, hiring student help and organizing events in support of football, basketball and equestrian.

As if that wasn’t enough, athletics began offering a premium experience for gymnastics this season. And with planned improvements coming to Plainsman Park—the First Base Club, a three-story expansion along the first base line, will add enhanced premium seating, club space, concessions and improved accessibility—Phillips’ responsibilities are expanding.

For such projects, Phillips said she stays actively involved in the planning from start to finish.

“Since I am the one hearing what people like and want on gameday, I try to think of what would work best operationally when looking to add or enhance premium areas,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun to see a project from start to finish. Opening the Harbert Family Recruiting Center was very rewarding and also the Broadway Club in Jordan-Hare Stadium.”

Phillips credits the people—first-time guests, longtime fans and colleagues—for making her job the best that it can be. Her job has allowed her to be a part of a number of memorable Auburn events, including basketball’s trip to the Final Four, national championship trips with football and equestrian, unveiling the statues at Jordan-Hare Stadium of Auburn’s Heisman Trophy winners and of three legendary coaches and celebrating the new Woltosz Football Performance Center with a black-tie gala in January.

She was also part of creating a new giving society in Tigers Unlimited and planning an incredible event for its donors. Members of the new Pat Dye Society have contributed at least $3 million to Auburn Athletics, outside of ticket priority.

“I have been entrusted with a large job, and I am honored to be part of this incredible team that gets to continue to move Auburn forward,” said Phillips.