NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt University has named Robbi Pickeral Evans senior associate athletic director for communications, Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Athletic Director Candice Storey Lee announced Friday.
Pickeral Evans, who joins the team Wednesday, will serve as a member of Vanderbilt Athletics’ executive leadership team. She will lead the department’s communications strategy and oversee its communications staff, advancing storytelling, media relations, digital engagement and creative content for Vanderbilt’s 17 varsity programs.
“Robbi is an exceptional communications strategist and a proven leader who understands both the extraordinary opportunities and the complexity of college athletics,” Lee said. “She brings sound judgment, deep experience and a genuine commitment to developing people and building strong relationships. Just as importantly, she believes deeply in the power of storytelling to bring people together and advance an organization’s mission. Robbi will be an invaluable member of our leadership team as we continue building momentum for Vanderbilt Athletics.”
Pickeral Evans comes to Vanderbilt from North Carolina, where she has served as senior associate athletic director for external affairs and strategic communications since 2019. As a member of UNC Athletics’ executive team, Pickeral Evans has helped guide departmental initiatives, strategic planning, issues management, revenue generation, fundraising and executive and internal communications. She also served as sport administrator for women’s basketball and baseball.
“Vanderbilt offers something truly distinctive—the opportunity to pursue excellence at the highest levels of academics and athletics in one of the country’s most dynamic cities,” Pickeral Evans said. “I am honored and excited to join Candice and the talented team she has assembled, and I look forward to helping tell the stories of Vanderbilt’s student-athletes, coaches, staff and programs while building meaningful connections with Commodores everywhere.”
Pickeral Evans has led communications strategies surrounding major coaching hires and retirements, national championships and some of the most prominent issues facing college athletics. She has also overseen content and productions for the Tar Heels’ 28 teams, reaching millions of fans across UNC’s digital and social media platforms while helping to strengthen collaboration among athletics, university communications, the ACC, fundraising, sponsorship and other campus partners.
Her leadership of major departmental initiatives has included UNC Athletics’ strategic planning process; facilities projects; the annual Carolina Sport and Entertainment Summit; a yearlong celebration of 50 years of Carolina women’s athletics; and the annual RAMMY Awards. She also supported the launch of FORevHER Tar Heels, a fundraising initiative that has generated more than $150 million for women’s athletics.
She previously oversaw the department’s marketing operation and its relationship with multimedia rights partner Tar Heel Sports Properties/Learfield. Before joining Carolina Athletics in 2017, Pickeral Evans worked in the university’s Office of Communications and Public Affairs, where she built and led a multimedia content team and provided strategic communications counsel to university leaders.
A former award-winning sports journalist, she reported for ESPN.com, The Raleigh News & Observer, the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the St. Petersburg Times. She began her career as a reporting intern at Sports Illustrated.
Pickeral Evans earned bachelor’s degrees in journalism and history from North Carolina.