Kaylah Hughes

Senior Director, Football Operations

Kaylah Hughes joined the Big Ten Conference in 2019 and currently serves as director, events and operations, having been promoted to that position in April 2022. In this role, Hughes assists with the overall planning and management of the Big Ten Football Championship Game, while also serving as a primary liaison for the Big Ten Football Media Days, Big Ten Basketball Media Days, Big Ten Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments.

Prior to joining the Big Ten, Hughes spent two years as administrative manager for the College Football 150th Anniversary (CFB150) in Irving, Texas, where she played an instrumental role in the planning and administering of a broad national celebration of college football’s 150th anniversary. As a part of this campaign, Hughes coordinated the implementation of the uniform patch program for over 800 institutions, while also managing the licensing program, organizational operations, and social and digital platforms.

Prior to her stint at CFB150, Hughes spent two years at Old Dominion University as the athletics operations and events coordinator. During her time at Old Dominion, Hughes coordinated the day-to-day operations of the football office and also served as the assistant to the senior associate athletic director for several other sports. In this role, Hughes collaborated with the recruiting staff to plan on-campus events for prospective student-athletes and produced an integrated timeline for football gameday management.

In addition to her experience in collegiate athletics, Hughes also spent time working in business development for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League. In that role, Hughes synchronized potential business leads and worked with prospective clients, while also helping execute game-day suite operations for all home contests at FedEx Field.

Hughes began working in football as an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, handling a variety of duties in recruiting administration, while also working as a member of the ticket office.

In 2013, Hughes earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science from North Carolina and went on to receive her master’s degree in sport industry management from Georgetown University in 2015.

Last updated: 8/16/2023