The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1527657
8 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ■ WOLFPACK CLUB NEWS Where did you grow up? Concord, N.C. What college did you graduate from? I graduated from NC State. I got my bachelor's degree in sport management and graduated in 2015 and then earned my master's in sport and entertainment manage- ment from the University of South Carolina in 2017. What are your current re- sponsibilities with the Wolfpack Club? I'm a major gift officer, so I'm mostly responsible for increas- ing our support through our major giving society, the Red Wolf Soci- ety, which we launched one year ago last October. I'm mostly in the relationship business, so I'm really just focusing on building genuine relationships. It's all about express- ing the need for philanthropic sup- port on a major gift level and how that can take us from good to great and help us get the best and brightest recruits possible as well. What did you do before joining the Wolfpack Club? I was a major gift of- ficer with the Hokie Club at Virginia Tech. Prior to that, I was working at the an- nual fund at Ole Miss for a couple years and then got my start in college athletics at the Gamecock Club at South Carolina after I got my master's degree. How did you get started at the Wolfpack Club? My wife and I certainly weren't looking to move at the time. We loved the Blacksburg area, a college town. It was great. We bought our first home in May 2022 and then had our son, our first kid, in June of '22, but it had always been a dream to get back to NC State at some point. Even though I wasn't actively looking for a job change, I saw the opportunity opened up at the Wolfpack Club and owed it to myself and my family to explore it. What's your favorite part of the job? We have an amazing fan base. I love being able to get to know them on a personal level. Every donor has their stories to share, and I just enjoy diving deeper into their lives and hearing their favorite Wolfpack memories. And it's just more special, too, when I'm finally back at the alma mater and can relate and share some of my own stories from when I was a student and also express some of the same heartbreaks as well. Pets? Two Labs named Chance and Finley. Hobbies: Spending time at Oak Island with family, golf and the gym. Favorite TV show: "Breaking Bad." Favorite movie: "The Departed." Favorite musical artist: Zach Bryan. Favorite restaurant: Ole Time Barbecue. Favorite Wolfpack memory: It's got to be the ACC men's championship for basketball. WOLFPACK CLUB STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Erich Horner, Senior Major Gifts Officer For more information, contact our offices at 919-865-1500 CLUBS THE WITHIN THE WOLFPACK CLUB Student WPC Benefits: membership T-shirt, online access to The Wolfpacker, premium student seating for football and basketball games, meetings with coaches and student-athletes, membership decal Junior WPC Benefits: membership T-shirt, membership card, membership decal, official Junior Wolfpack Club gift Varsity Club Benefits: exclusive access to Varsity Club room before basketball games, reduced-price season tickets for football and men's basketball, free reserved parking with season tickets, invitation to sports reunion(s) Horner is a 2015 graduate of NC State. He was working at Virginia Tech when the opportunity arose to return to his alma mater. PHOTO COURTESY WOLFPACK CLUB