Casey Finnell, Ed.D

Bio

Casey Finnell joined Kansas Athletics in November of 2022 as the Director of Student-Athlete Development after eight years at Lindenwood University where she served as Assistant Director, Academic Success.

Finnell joined the Lindenwood Lions as an academic coordinator in July 2015 and was moved into the role of Director of Academic Success a few months after. In August 2016, Finnell was promoted to her current position of Assistant Athletics Director for Academic Success. In her role, Finnell oversaw the academic support and student-athlete development services for over 600 student-athletes, supervised the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and also ran the Athlete Mentor Program (AMP), which she created in 2017 to help strengthen ties across teams by connecting incoming freshmen student-athletes with upperclassmen mentors on different teams. Finnell was a recipient of the Lindenwood University Outstanding Staff Service Award for 2017-18.

In addition to her duties, Finnell represented the Lions on a national level. She was selected as a facilitator for the national NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum in back-to-back years in Fall 2017 and Spring 2019. Finnell was also selected for the 2019 East Women Leaders in College Spots (WLCS) Institute for Administrative Advancement and 2017 NCAA Effective Facilitator Workshop training.

Finnell is also an active member of the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A) and Women Leaders in College Sports (WLCS). Finnell is a 2014 graduate of N4A’s Professional Development Institute, is an active member of N4A’s Student-Athlete Development Committee and the newly formed Student-Athlete Wellness Committee, and served as chair of the Mental Health subcommittee for 2017-18 and 2018-19. Her dedication to N4A was recognized in 2018 when she was presented with the Professional Excellence Award for Region IV. This award is presented annually to an outstanding professional for superior leadership and extraordinary service to the industry.

Prior to her arrival at Lindenwood University, Finnell spent two years at Stephen F. Austin State University where she served as the tutor coordinator, oversaw academic support services for several Olympic sports, and taught a University Experience class for freshmen. Finnell got her start in athletics academic support services and administration at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, serving as an intern in their Student-Athlete Support Services Office.

Finnell began her career in intercollegiate athletics at her alma mater, Kansas State University, where she was an assistant coach for the NCAA Division I Equestrian Team for five seasons. Finnell was a student-athlete on the Equestrian Team for four years, was a two-time letterwinner and also served as a team captain her junior and senior seasons. Finnell coached the 2012 Most Outstanding Player on the Flat at the National Collegiate Equestrian Association National Championships and earned a nomination for the Coach of the Year award that same year. In 2016, Finnell was honored as a Distinguished Alumni in the field of Education by the National Collegiate Equestrian Association.

Finnell earned her Bachelor of Arts with dual majors in Spanish and Journalism and Mass Communications and a minor in Leadership Studies from Kansas State University. She also completed her Master of Science in Counseling and Student Development at K-State. Finnell is also a new graduate of Lindenwood University, earning her Doctorate of Education in Higher Education Administration with an emphasis in Instructional Leadership in 2022.