Leah Botts

• MBA, Non-Profit Management, Lenoir-Rhyne University
• B.S., Communication, Public Relations, Appalachian State University

Leah Botts is the senior associate athletic director for marketing and branding for Lenoir-Rhyne athletics. She leads marketing, branding and community engagement for the athletics department.

Botts returned to Lenoir-Rhyne in fall 2024 after spending two years as the associate athletics director for fan engagement and marketing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In her role with the Blazers, she oversaw brand management and marketing efforts, including a rebrand for the state's largest employer. She played a key role in UAB’s comprehensive brand campaign and helped increase athletics licensing revenue.

Before her time at UAB, Botts served as the assistant athletic director for marketing and fan engagement at Lenoir-Rhyne. She was instrumental in creating one of the best game-day atmospheres in Division II and played a key role in launching 828 Day and the "Paint the Town Red" campaign. In just its second year as an in-person event, 828 Day was a finalist for the 2022 NCAA Division II Award for Excellence. Under Botts' leadership, the LR athletics marketing department won three national awards at the 2020-21 NACMA Best of Awards, including a gold medal in the community engagement and public relations category. She has also served on NACMA's fan development and brand ambassador committees.

As an Appalachian State student, Botts was a four-year member of the Mountaineers cheerleading team and was named team MVP her senior year.