Northern Illinois University Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation Sean T. Frazier on Friday announced two changes to his executive team.
Dr. Randi Napientek, a triple graduate of NIU who joined the NIU Student-Athlete Academic Support Services (SAASS) staff in 2017 and has spent her entire career at the university, has been promoted to senior associate athletic director/director of SAASS. TJ Feuerbach, who joined the Huskie staff in August 2017 as senior associate athletic director for development and revenue generation, will take on a new role as senior associate athletic director/senior director of advancement with primary duties in fundraising with a focus on major gifts, for both NIU Athletics and the NIU Foundation.
“I am confident these moves involving two dedicated Huskies are going to benefit current and future NIU student-athletes,” Frazier said. “A lifelong Huskie, Randi’s commitment to NIU, to our student-athletes and to this community are unquestioned. I am excited to see her have an even greater impact on this department as the leader of SAASS and a member of the senior staff. With TJ taking this opportunity to focus on fundraising, specifically for several upcoming major initiatives, our revenue generation efforts have received a huge shot in the arm at a critical time.”
Napientek has been a member of the SAASS staff for the last six and a half years, beginning as an associate director before being promoted to assistant athletics director in 2021 and to associate athletic director in October 2022. In that role, she has overseen the day-to-day operations of the department, including supervising staff, collaborating with campus units and serving as the academic coordinator for two sports programs and now adds primary sport administrative and additional responsibilities.
This is Napientek’s second stint with NIU Athletics as she began her professional career as a member of the staff of what is now the Huskie Athletic Fund (HAF) in 2006-07 before moving over to the academic side of campus. Prior to coming to SAASS, Napientek worked in the Office of Student Academic Success from November 2009 to March 2017, receiving two promotions during her time with that office. Her duties there included coordinating student success and retention programs to help improve NIU’s four-year graduation and retention rates.
“I am excited for this opportunity to continue to work with our student-athletes,” Napientek said. “We have had extraordinary success in the classroom under Sean Frazier and [Associate Vice Provost for Student Success] Nichole Knutson’s leadership, and we want to continue that tradition. I am excited to work with the campus community, coaches, and support staff to ensure that our student-athletes have a world class experience during their time here at NIU. This is an exciting time for Huskie Athletics, and I am eager to continue to give back to the institution that has given so much to me and my family.”
Napientek earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing, her Master of Education in adult and higher education and in May 2017, her doctorate, also in adult and higher education, from NIU. She has been an instructor for UNIV 101, an introductory course for NIU freshmen, since 2008 and has served on multiple university committees.
During Feuerbach’s time leading NIU’s development team, revenues across multiple categories have increase, with a 20 percent increase in department revenue for 2023 representing a new all-time high, while unrestricted annual fund dollars saw a record 31 percent increase last year. Huskies Invest, NIU Athletics’ annual Week of Giving, surpassed the $1M mark in each of the last two years. Premium sales, sports specific gifts, gift-in-kind and more also have seen increases over the last six years, while $3.2 million has been raised for various capital initiatives. Those projects include the Phi Sigma Kappa Alumni Association of NIU Nutrition Center, the Nelson Tennis Center at Chick Evans Field House and Ralph McKinzie Field at Walt and Janice Owens Park.
“First nd foremost, I want to thank Sean (Frazier) for his continued support, as well as the leadership team within the NIU Foundation for their trust in allowing me to transition into this role,” Feuerbach said. “We have had some tremendous successes in growing the Huskie Athletic Fund over the past six years, and I believe we are on the cusp of making significant strides on capital projects and other initiatives that I am particularly passionate about. I’m excited to be able to focus my attention on those projects and to continue to work with our wonderful supporters who are impacting the lives of NIU student-athletes and helping to shape the future of NIU Athletics for years to come.”
Prior to his arrival at NIU in 2017, Feuerbach was the associate athletic director for development at the University of Tulsa for more than two years and also worked in development at Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati.