Wake Forest Athletics
Dunn’s Passion for Helping Student-Athletes Evident as Journey at Wake Forest Begins
3/10/2023 8:00:00 AM | General
“My wife, Katie, and I, and our son Reece, have enjoyed every moment of being here in Winston-Salem and being part of the Demon Deacons family.” – Arin Dunn
When Arin Dunn interviewed for an athletics position several years ago at Kansas State, then K-State director of athletics John Currie wasn't on campus. However, he quickly followed up with Dunn and then he was named the first Director of Student-Athlete Development in Manhattan, Kansas.
"Before I got to campus, he'd made a personal investment in me and believed in me and the work I was doing," Dunn said. "That really set the tone for my relationship with John. So when we reached out with an opportunity here at Wake Forest, it was the right time, right place and even more importantly the right people. We knew it would be a tremendous opportunity for our family."
Dunn was hired last summer as a senior associate athletics director for student-athlete development, and is also serving as the chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer for Wake Forest Athletics. Additionally, he is leading student-athlete focused efforts related to Name Image and Likeness (NIL) and career development.
"My wife and I, and our son Reece, have enjoyed every moment of being here in Winston-Salem and being part of the Demon Deacons family," Dunn said about the transition. "Our lives revolve around Wake Forest Athletics, which is awesome for us."
His wife, Katie, serves as the director of women's basketball operations for Wake Forest and their son, Reece, is about to celebrate his first birthday.
"It was just another sign that this was the place to be," Dunn said. "Right after I accepted the job was when they announced the hiring of Coach (Megan) Gebbia. She didn't have anyone in mind for the director of basketball operations, and my wife had worked in that same position at Kansas State, before moving over to compliance. So we're thankful to Coach Gebbia to give Katie the opportunity to be part of her staff. It was perfect timing. They say preparation and timing mean everything."
Two new jobs, their first child and a cross-country move — that's a lot of change in a short period of time for the Dunn family.
"It's been a great journey for us," Dunn said. "It helps that we're both in the same industry and understand the space we're in. We're supportive of one another, and have great support here at Wake Forest. We also have family in the area, in both Raleigh and Charlotte. We couldn't think of a better place to make these life adjustments than Winston-Salem and Wake Forest."
Dunn has been using his first year on campus to learn more about what makes Wake Forest special, while looking to build on the solid foundation left behind by Ashley Wechter in the development office.
"I look at it as a great opportunity to take over an area that already had a great foundation," he said. "Ashley Wechter, Dwight Lewis, Alejandra Lobelo did a phenomenal job in building a strong foundation in student-athlete development. I embrace the opportunity to build upon the things that she put in place.
"College athletics is changing, and the needs of our student-athletes are changing. We need to ensure we evolve and keep up with the needs of our players and coaches."
With the ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics, ensuring there are Wake Forest-centric solutions to the challenges ahead is vital.
"One of the things I've focused on the last year is just learning about Wake Forest and meeting the people," he said. "I just want to be a student and soak up as much as I can. Once we turn the page a little bit, we'll start to implement some of the things we can to enhance student-athlete development; diversity, equity and inclusion; and NIL.
"We also want to ensure our coaches have everything at their disposal to compete at a high level. I'm going to try to be intentional in taking my time and learning as much as possible. We have some great things in front of us."
That relationship that started several years ago and hundreds of miles away is bearing fruit right here at Wake Forest now.
"Arin has done a great job since he's joined the Wake Forest environment," Currie said. "He's a person of high integrity and character, and cares about every student-athlete. We're delighted to have him at Wake Forest."
"Before I got to campus, he'd made a personal investment in me and believed in me and the work I was doing," Dunn said. "That really set the tone for my relationship with John. So when we reached out with an opportunity here at Wake Forest, it was the right time, right place and even more importantly the right people. We knew it would be a tremendous opportunity for our family."
Dunn was hired last summer as a senior associate athletics director for student-athlete development, and is also serving as the chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer for Wake Forest Athletics. Additionally, he is leading student-athlete focused efforts related to Name Image and Likeness (NIL) and career development.
"My wife and I, and our son Reece, have enjoyed every moment of being here in Winston-Salem and being part of the Demon Deacons family," Dunn said about the transition. "Our lives revolve around Wake Forest Athletics, which is awesome for us."
His wife, Katie, serves as the director of women's basketball operations for Wake Forest and their son, Reece, is about to celebrate his first birthday.
"It was just another sign that this was the place to be," Dunn said. "Right after I accepted the job was when they announced the hiring of Coach (Megan) Gebbia. She didn't have anyone in mind for the director of basketball operations, and my wife had worked in that same position at Kansas State, before moving over to compliance. So we're thankful to Coach Gebbia to give Katie the opportunity to be part of her staff. It was perfect timing. They say preparation and timing mean everything."
Two new jobs, their first child and a cross-country move — that's a lot of change in a short period of time for the Dunn family.
"It's been a great journey for us," Dunn said. "It helps that we're both in the same industry and understand the space we're in. We're supportive of one another, and have great support here at Wake Forest. We also have family in the area, in both Raleigh and Charlotte. We couldn't think of a better place to make these life adjustments than Winston-Salem and Wake Forest."
Dunn has been using his first year on campus to learn more about what makes Wake Forest special, while looking to build on the solid foundation left behind by Ashley Wechter in the development office.
"I look at it as a great opportunity to take over an area that already had a great foundation," he said. "Ashley Wechter, Dwight Lewis, Alejandra Lobelo did a phenomenal job in building a strong foundation in student-athlete development. I embrace the opportunity to build upon the things that she put in place.
"College athletics is changing, and the needs of our student-athletes are changing. We need to ensure we evolve and keep up with the needs of our players and coaches."
With the ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics, ensuring there are Wake Forest-centric solutions to the challenges ahead is vital.
"One of the things I've focused on the last year is just learning about Wake Forest and meeting the people," he said. "I just want to be a student and soak up as much as I can. Once we turn the page a little bit, we'll start to implement some of the things we can to enhance student-athlete development; diversity, equity and inclusion; and NIL.
"We also want to ensure our coaches have everything at their disposal to compete at a high level. I'm going to try to be intentional in taking my time and learning as much as possible. We have some great things in front of us."
That relationship that started several years ago and hundreds of miles away is bearing fruit right here at Wake Forest now.
"Arin has done a great job since he's joined the Wake Forest environment," Currie said. "He's a person of high integrity and character, and cares about every student-athlete. We're delighted to have him at Wake Forest."
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