Katie Cavender joined the College Football Playoff staff in August 2018 as its assistant director of communications and branding. Now in her 23rd year in intercollegiate athletics and eighth with the CFP, Cavender manages the organization’s media relations, public relations, and branding strategies, including direct oversight of its digital and social media portfolio. Under her leadership, the content creation team for the 2022 national championship game became the first in Hashtag Sports Awards history to be named Social Team of the Year.
Prior to joining the CFP, Cavender spent 11 years with the Mountain West Conference, the last five as the league's Assistant Commissioner of Advanced Media and Digital Strategy. In that role, she was responsible for the strategic direction, execution, and performance analysis of the conference’s digital presence across social, web, and mobile platforms. She led the Mountain West to a spot on the Cynopsis Sports Leaderboard (which recognizes the nation’s best sports social media campaigns)in 2015 and played a key role in launching the inaugural MW Football Championship Game in 2013. She also contributed to the development and implementation of the Emmy Award-winning Mountain West Network, honored for technical achievement in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Cavender previously held the roles of the MW's Director of New Media and Technology (2010–13) and Multimedia Coordinator (2007–10).
A native of Elko, Nevada, Cavender graduated with honors from the University of Nevada with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. She began her career as a public relations intern with the Pac-10 Conference, where she served as the primary media contact for baseball, swimming & diving, and tennis, and the secondary contact for women’s volleyball and men’s basketball. She was also part of the media coordination team for the 2006 BCS National Championship at the Rose Bowl Game. Cavender later joined Boise State Athletics, where she worked as the assistant media coordinator for the MPC Computers Bowl and provided support for facilities, game operations, and team travel.
Cavender earned her Master’s of Education degree in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership from the University of Washington. She serves on the executive board of the Sports Management Program at the University of Nevada and is a member of both the Gondola Sports Summit Steering Committee and the Sports Video Group (SVG) College Advisory Committee.
