NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Athletic Director Candice Storey Lee announced Friday the hiring of Ena Patel as the department’s chief of staff. Patel comes to Vanderbilt Athletics after serving nearly two years as director of planning and integration under the chief business officer for LA28, the team building the infrastructure for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“We are excited to welcome Ena and her expertise and collaborative spirit to Commodore Nation,” Lee said. “As Vanderbilt Athletics forges ahead, her diverse professional experience—from turning Olympic-sized dreams into reality for LA28 to championing excellence as an executive in men’s and women’s professional soccer—will help us as we reimagine what is possible. Ena shares our commitment to creating championship environments, I’m thrilled to welcome her to Nashville.”
In addition to working with key partners, including the International Olympic Committee, she was involved with several departments to help develop strategies, oversee high-level meetings, and project workforce and business needs for the games. She also evaluated the technology necessary to implement a data management system that would allow for reporting and analysis of information across work areas.
“I’m thrilled to join Vanderbilt Athletics in this new role, especially at such a pivotal time in college sports,” Patel said. “I’ve always been passionate about helping athletes become the best version of themselves, both on and off the field of play. By joining Vice Chancellor Lee and her team—who are committed to doing just that—this is a unique opportunity to have a lasting impact on current and future generations of student-athletes, technical staff, and sports more broadly. I’m incredibly grateful to Candice for this opportunity and am excited to join the Vanderbilt community.”
Patel also has experience as the vice president of operations for the Drone Racing League and operations director/chief of staff at Fireside Chat, a company founded by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. As head of soccer operations at Angel City Football Club, she advised management and ownership on organizational structure, staffing, operating budgets and day-to-day operations, and she advised the Charlotte FC front office during that time.
As director of player personnel for the Colorado Rapids Soccer Club in 2018-19, Patel was the highest-ranking female on a technical staff in Major League Soccer. In her role as the organization’s second in command to the president and general manager, she assisted with club transactions, including negotiation of contracts, player development, management of the salary cap and day-to-day operations. While with the club, Patel earned the People’s Choice Award as the Best Sports Lawyer from Colorado Sports Law.
She has also served as an associate at Baker McKenzie LLP, DLA Piper LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Patel received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Southern California in 2005, adding a juris doctor in 2008 from Loyola Law School and a master of laws in taxation from Northwestern in 2012.
