Carrie Blankenship has served as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Operations at the University of Maryland since February 2016 and is currently entering her 20th year with the department. She has nearly two decades of experience driving strategic growth, brand visibility, and revenue generation across a broad spectrum of external operations.
Throughout her tenure, Blankenship has overseen a wide range of external functions including marketing and fan development, strategic communications and content strategy, multimedia rights and sponsorship, ticketing and sales, broadcasting and production, and event presentation. Her leadership has played a central role in shaping Maryland Athletics’ external portfolio and aligning it with long-term strategic and financial goals.
A member of the Athletic Director’s senior staff, Blankenship currently provides strategic direction for several areas within the external unit and plays a key role in cross-departmental initiatives that impact fan engagement, brand growth, and revenue performance. She also serves as the football bowl game administrator and the sport supervisor for the cheer program.
Blankenship joined the Terrapins in 2006 as Assistant Director of Sports Marketing. She was subsequently promoted to Associate Director (2008-10), Director (2010-11), Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing & Sponsor Services (2011-13), Assistant Athletic Director for Championships & Community Engagement (2013), and Associate Athletic Director for Marketing (2013-16).
During her tenure in the marketing department, Maryland was named the 2015 National Marketing Team of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA). The department went on to earn top-three finalist recognition in 2016, 2017, and 2021, along with National Championships in 2020 and 2023.
While leading marketing strategy, revenue generation, and gameday presentation for men’s basketball, Blankenship launched a student flash mob tradition in 2013, which gained national attention and surpassed 10 million views on YouTube. Flash Mob Part III went viral in 2015, reaching 4.7 million views and earning a feature on the Today Show. She also introduced the tradition of unveiling a giant Maryland State Flag at football and basketball games, and coordinated the 2012 Comcast Center court naming ceremony honoring Hall of Fame coach Gary Williams.
As Assistant Athletic Director for Championships and Community Engagement, Blankenship directed all NCAA championship events hosted by Maryland and led department-wide community outreach efforts. She supervised women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track & field, and women’s cross country.
Since 2016, Blankenship has served as an adjunct faculty member at VCU’s nationally ranked Center for Sports Leadership graduate program, where she teaches “Sports Marketing.” She has also previously taught in Georgetown University’s Sports Industry Management program and served on NACMA’s board of directors for eight years, including a term as President in 2022–23.
Before joining Maryland, she was a graduate assistant in the marketing department at Arizona State University from 2005 to 2006, earning an MBA with dual specializations in sports business and strategic marketing. She earned a second master’s degree in 2021 from Maryland’s nationally ranked Higher Education program.
A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Blankenship graduated with honors from Northern Illinois University with a degree in corporate communications and a minor in journalism. A four-year volleyball letterwinner, she helped lead the program to two conference championships and NCAA tournament appearances, serving as team captain for three seasons.
Updated January 30, 2025
