BY Jay Barlett, McMaster Athletics and Recreation
McMaster University has announced that Keenan Jeppesen has been hired for the role of Associate Director, High Performance for the Department of Athletics & Recreation.
Keenan is a graduate of Brown University with a B.A. in Economics, and earned his MBA from the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University. Keenan most recently served as the Director of Outreach for the Onyx Initiative, and was formerly the Director of Basketball Operations at McMaster, as well as an Assistant Coach for the Marauders men's basketball team.
"I am tremendously grateful for the opportunity to return to McMaster University in the capacity of Associate Director, High Performance" said Jeppesen. "The staff and coaches are some of the most talented and hardworking people in the country. I am excited to work with them to redefine High Performance and create a culture that fosters both inclusivity and championships."
While with the Onyx Initiative, Jeppesen was able to combine his passion for diversity and inclusion with his experience in marketing and corporate partnerships to create impactful change, aiming to bridge the gap between students who identify as Black and/or Afro-Canadian and corporate Canada for internships and entry-level opportunities.
"Keenan's extensive background in high performance sport coupled with his excellent business credentials & acumen provide our department with the mindset, skills, and leadership vision to build upon our program's successes" says Shawn Burt, Director of Athletics & Recreation at McMaster.
"Coming out of Covid, we recognize the need to bring everyone together is more important now than ever before. Keenan's focus on the whole student-athlete experience, his belief in people, and his focus on creating an inclusive environment position him extremely well to get the most out of our amazing student-athletes and staff. We're thrilled to welcome Keenan to the team and know he will do great things for our program, the university, and the community at large."
Prior to working with McMaster in basketball ops, Keenan was the V.P. of Marketing & Media Relations at Ubiquiti Networks, where he led branding efforts for the company's consumer product line based in Los Angeles, Calif. His corporate career began in New York City working for Viacom in advertising sales for several departments, including subsidiary Black Entertainment TV (BET). He remained active in basketball competing and coaching at the New York Athletic Club and doing youth clinics with Pro Hoops NYC.
Before joining Onyx, Keenan spent two years as the Director of Basketball Operations for the McMaster Men's basketball program and built a successful consulting business named Daya Solutions.
As a former student-athlete, Keenan competed at Brown University where he was selected to the All-Ivy League Second-Team for 2005-06. He would return home to Canada and play at Western University where he was an OUA First-Team All-Star in 2009, and was a two-time CIS National Semi-Finalist with the Mustangs. Keenan returned to Hamilton to play for the Marauders as he completed his master's degree and would be named Team MVP 2010, McMaster's Male Athlete of the Year, OUA West Player of the Year and a CIS First-Team All-Canadian selection.
Keenan would have the honour of wearing Canada's colours as a member of the 2009 National Development Team and competed in the F.I.S.U. games in Belgrade, Serbia.
When Keenan isn't on his laptop or in a meeting you can usually find him watching Friends with his fiancé Jackie and his step-daughter Sienna or walking around his Ancaster neighborhood with their Bullmastiff Biggie.
