BROOKLYN & BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – The Long Island University athletics department recently announced several new additions to its staff.

"I am truly excited about the opportunity to continue to foster a championship culture with the additions of Jeannie, Mike, Kendrell, Baronton, and Bryan to the LIU Athletics leadership team," said LIU Director of Athletics Elliott Charles. "Providing comprehensive student-athlete support services, continuing to enhance community engagement opportunities, and further establishing a strategic outlook for our athletic programs is paramount as we continue to shape our athletics administration."

See below for information about each of the department's new staff members:

Jean Anne Smith, Senior Woman Administrator: Jean Anne (Jeannie), has been part of the LIU administration for nearly ten years, largely serving as the Associate Dean of Students and Deputy Title IX Coordinator. She has spent over 30 years working in higher education with stops at Hofstra University and SUNY Maritime College. Recently, Jeannie was elevated to the SWA role and is revered by her fellow administrators. She is a mainstay to all student-athletes on both the Brooklyn and Post campuses and is a leader in both athletics and general education.

Kendrell Watkins, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Revenue Generation: Kendrell Watkins joins LIU from the Atlantic Sun Conference where he served as Associate Commissioner for Digital Strategies. His primary duties included improving and increasing brand awareness on all Atlantic Sun digital platforms. He also worked with the conference's executive leadership team in sponsorship activations and licensing. Prior to the Atlantic Sun, Watkins worked at Florida A&M University where he helped the institution gain recognition as a Top 25 FCS program in visual communication.

Baronton Terry, Associate Athletic Director for Facilities and Operations: A former collegiate men's basketball coach, Baronton Terry was added to the LIU staff after time as an assistant coach at Chicago State University. Prior to working with the Cougars, Terry spent more than 20 years in the high school ranks as a decorated head coach mainly in North Carolina. His high-school career is filled with conference, regional, and state championships, along with multiple Coach of the Year honors. During his high school coaching tenure, he has been named Coach of the Year six times. Terry will largely be working out of the Brooklyn campus.

Bryan Phillips, Associate Athletic Director for Compliance: Bryan Phillips will add Long Island University to his impressive NCAA compliance resume. Most recently, Phillips served as the Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance at The Citadel in the Southern Conference. He has spent time in a variety of compliance roles with Charleston Southern University and the University of Maine. Phillips coming to LIU is somewhat of an NEC return as he earned one of his multiple Master's degrees from Farleigh Dickinson University, where he studied Sports Administration.  

Michael Johnson, Director of Business Operations: Michael (Mike) Johnson joins LIU after spending time at Columbia University as a Senior Financial Analyst. A Pennsylvania-native, Johnson also worked in higher education as a Financial Analyst at NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. He spent much of his career with UPS in several key analyst roles, with an additional stop at Citi as an Assistant Vice President. Early in his career, Mike was elected as Junior Auditor in his home county, and eventually took over the Auditor position before moving onto the next steps of his professional development. 

For more information on the entire LIU Athletics department, please visit our staff directory.