The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1249704
MAY/JUNE 2020 ■ 41 In two years, Broussard had earned a promotion to director of development for the Tiger Athletic Foundation, and then in 2010 he became the vice president for de- velopment. During his time in the latter role, Broussard helped lead and accomplish the following major goals: • The sale of $45 million in premium seat inventory from 2014-17 as part of a strategy to raise over $90 million philanthropically for the university. • Securing a $40 million planned gift for LSU athletics and the School of Engineering. • A $12 million renovation plan for LSU's Tiger Stadium. • Constructing a nutrition center for stu- dent-athletes by raising more than $12 mil- lion in 18 months. By 2015, Broussard had been appointed to the NAADD's executive committee, and opportunities were coming. "I had received a number of calls from re- cruiters and head hunters," Broussard recalled, "that basically said the same thing: 'You could be in Baton Rouge the rest of your life. But if you do not experience other athletic depart- ments or administrations, you'll never see other ways things are done. If you ultimately are going to lead an organization, you are go- ing to need some diversity and experience.'" Broussard agreed, but being a staunch family man meant that he knew any poten- tial move would first have to be approved by his wife. "A whole bunch of them were not that exciting to my wife until Colorado came along," he noted. The rising star was intrigued by the op- portunity to work at Colorado for Rich George, whom Broussard called "a world- class athletics director." The chance to run the Buff Club under George in a location that was a great spot to raise a family en- ticed Broussard to accept the position. "It was a great experience for our family," he said. A similar setup has led him to Raleigh. Already sold on the community by Pur- cell and family members, Broussard discov- ered during the process that the university leadership led by Corrigan and Chancellor Randy Woodson was first-rate. "I think you'd be hard-pressed to find an institution that has better top-end leadership than NC State does right now," Broussard said. "Chancellor Woodson is probably the smartest guy in whatever room he is in, but you'd never know it just because of how down-to-earth he is. He's very relatable. I can see why he's been a success. "Then Boo has a vision for what he wants to do at NC State, and it's got all the re- sources it needs. It has a very passionate, loyal fan base that will support the organiza- tion. The natural resources are around, from an athletic standpoint. NC State can win a lot. Just from the outside looking in, we can win at a really high level." Broussard will be making the move to Ra- leigh this summer, bringing his restored 1968 Bronco with him. At some point, perhaps, af- ter settling in he will begin his dream of restor- ing a mid-1960s Ford F100 with his two sons. His three children are everything to Brous- sard. He loyally attends all their events, and if work obligations have him elsewhere his wife will FaceTime what's going on so he can watch live. During the COVID-19 pan- demic lockdown, Broussard, who grew up with an appreciation of the outdoors, and his boys have made daily runs together. One of his favorite memories in sports happened recently, when he kept a promise to his sons that if LSU made the national title game they would attend. Sure enough, LSU beat Clemson in New Orleans in Janu- ary for the championship. "That's the first time they'd ever been to a college football game as a family as fans," he noted. "That was great." Broussard uses a family approach to his dealings with donors. He noted one of his responsibilities is, "to know those people interpersonally, get to know their families and their kids." That is going to be even more important in the immediate future given the uncertain- ties surrounding the pandemic. He under- stands that fans want clarity and normalcy. "That's coming," he explained. "We don't know all the answers yet, but it's coming." Broussard's immediate goal is to get to know the university, athletics department and Wolfpack Club staffs while aligning the booster organization's vision with that of Corrigan's and NC State's. Then he will start building off the work of Purcell. "Every donor that I've dealt with that has given a dollar of support do it because they want to do one of two things," Broussard stated. "One, they want to invest in people. They want to see people succeed. Two, they want to give back to their institution so that the buildings can be built and the scholar- ships can be funded. "That doesn't change whether it's Colo- rado, LSU or NC State." ■ " Ben is a real student of fundraising. He's been around Division I athletics at LSU, and grew up there with big-time football and basketball. He raised significant dollars at Colorado. More than anything else, I think he's a really good fit as a person and will really be respected and well thought about by Wolfpack Club members and by the NC State community. Director of athletics Boo Corrigan on Broussard Broussard spent more than 13 years with the Tiger Athletic Foundation — the fundraising arm for his alma mater, LSU — and worked his way up to vice president for development before taking the job at Colorado. PHOTO COURTESY LSU