Donovan Ellis - Associate Athletic Director – External and Corporate Relations - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Donovan Ellis

Title:
Associate Athletic Director – External and Corporate Relations
Email:
Phone:
951-552-8818

On January 6, 2025, Donovan Ellis joined California Baptist University Athletics as the Associate Athletic Director for External and Corporate Relations. Ellis joins the AD's Executive Staff and oversees all sponsorship duties for Lancer Athletics while also helping guide the ticketing and communication departments.

Ellis, a Riverside native, returns to his hometown after recently working with the Fresno State athletic department through LEARFIELD, a national leader in college sports marketing and multimedia rights.

Vice President for Athletics Dr. Micah Parker remarked on the addition of Ellis, saying, "Donovan fits our mission and will be an important part of our team. Revenue generation is critical for our success at the Division I level, and he comes to us with the experience to involve community partners who want to be a part of our brand."

Ellis brings a unique blend of local roots to CBU Athletics, including experience as a Division I student-athlete and cross-sector leadership. He is a graduate and baseball alum of UC Riverside and went on to earn his Master of Education in Sport Administration from the University of Miami.

Ellis’s career spans more than a decade of revenue generation and partnership development, split between the private sector and collegiate athletics. In his five years with LEARFIELD, he rose to Senior Manager of Business Development with Fresno State and Bulldog Sports Properties. In that role, he forged high-impact corporate partnerships, spearheaded integrated marketing campaigns, and consistently outperformed revenue targets.

"I'd like to thank President Ronald Ellis and Vice President for Athletics, Dr. Micah Parker, for this incredible opportunity to join this great institution and excellent Division I program," Ellis said. "I look forward to expanding our corporate sponsorship programs and fostering relationships that drive growth, engagement, and long-term success for CBU Athletics and our partners. As Riverside natives, my wife and I are excited to be here to help grow such a prolific brand and mission in our hometown, and we cannot wait to immerse ourselves in the pride and tradition of CBU."

Donovan and his wife, Aubrey, have three children: Landyn, Liberty, and Lennox, and call Sunridge Community Church their home on Sundays.