Carlton Cooper, who spent nine years working for the athletic department at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, is in his second year as the athletic director at Texas A&M University-Commerce. He comes with an extensive athletic background as a former student-athlete and as a supervisor of internal and external affairs within intercollegiate athletics.

Under Cooper’s leadership at A&M-Commerce, the athletic department has already made significant strides in becoming a national leader in athletics. The athletic department has seen a rise in graduation rates among its student-athletes, the installation of air conditioning to the A&M-Commerce Field House, implemented a compliance education program, increased community engagement and community awareness, organized a football game to be played at the Cotton Bowl during the Texas State Fair, negotiated an all-school contract agreement with Nike, launched a new look web site and started a weekly radio show for football and men and women’s basketball. Cooper and the athletic department have also brought in instructional/motivational speakers to talk with the student-athletes, started a kickoff luncheon for fall and spring sports, seen an increase in tailgating at home games, renewed the Blue-Gold football scrimmage at the end of spring football practice, renovated athletic administration and coaches offices in the A&M-Commerce Field House and saw the 2007 football Lions win their first-ever Lone Star Conference North Division title. Recently, he was asked to serve as the Athletic Director Liaison to the LSC Football Coaches by the commissioner's office. In his first year, he served as the Athletic Director Liaision to the LSC Cross Country Coaches.

Cooper served as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations at SMU from 2000 to 2007, where he was responsible for the coordination of day-to-day internal operations of the athletic department while assisting the director of athletics in supervising and providing leadership for department initiatives. He has been involved in the development of long-range and annual operating plans. Those functions include: personnel, conference liaison, fund raising, facilities operations, facilities enhancement, sports supervision, game-day operations, sports scheduling, academics and making financial bids on conference and NCAA Championships. Cooper also oversees the following support areas: community and guest relations, equipment room, sports medicine, strength and conditioning, video operations, team travel, stadium maintenance/concessions and security operations. In addition, he has also served on multiple committees for the university, Conference USA, Western Athletic Conference and the NCAA.

From 1998 to 2000, Cooper served as SMU's Community Relations Director from 1998-2000. He founded the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) for SMU and developed the curriculum for the SMU PIKE Big Brother Program (SMU/Dallas Public Schools Tutoring and Mentoring program). Cooper designed "Reading Our Way to College", a reading program for DISD fourth-grade students and created the SMU/MLK (Martin Luther King Center) "Road to the Pros" career lecture series featuring national sports, education and business leaders.

Cooper holds memberships to a number of organizations and has served as a board member for the Dallas All-Sports Association, SMU Advisory Board for the new student recreation center, Longhorn Hall of Honor, SMU Ex-Student Association, and the University of Texas Ex-Student Association. In the past, he has been active on the NCAA Championship Cabinet and is also involved in the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Dallas Asian and Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, NACDA and the University of Texas Longhorn Foundation.

The Paris, Texas native was added to the Wall of Fame at the Boys and Girls Club of the Red River Valley in the spring of 2007. Cooper played college basketball at the University of Texas from 1982 to 1985 and was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks. He went on to serve as a player/coach in the Netherlands, New Zealand and Philippines before returning to Paris in 1994 to become the Head Boys Basketball Coach and with Assistant Principal duties. Cooper earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from the University of Texas in 1985. A two-time member of the Dean's List, he received the Texas Teacher Certificate in 1985 as well. Cooper collected a graduate certificate in mediation/arbitration from SMU in 2000 and earned a Master's of Liberal Arts degree from SMU in December 2001. Cooper was a four-year letterwinner of the men's basketball team at Texas, where he also was an assistant coach when they won a regular season conference title in 1986.

He is the son of Clarence and Barbara Cooper of Paris, Texas is married to Niesje and they have four children, Brandon, Danielle, Chanel and Ava.

Frank Smith is in his second year as an associate athletic director at Texas A&M University-Commerce.

At A&M-Commerce, Smith serves as the sport administrator for the Lions men's and women's basketball programs. He serves as the primary budget officer for the athletic department and manage all department internal accounting. Smith also directs and supervises all purchasing and departmental business operations including cash receipts, grant-in-aid payments, trade-out utilization, fund transfers and expenditures from University Foundation accounts.

Prior to coming to A&M-Commerce, Smith has worked in the private business sector for eight years, primarily in financial areas and he will assist the athletic department with that expertise. Seven of those years were in the banking business were he was actively involved with the management, sales and training as well as customer service. For nearly five years, Smith was a Sports Development Team Leader for Sports Tasman in Nelson, New Zealand. He was responsible for the organization and maintenance of the budget, sport development, fundraising and strategic planning.

Smith attended Gary Emerson High School, where he holds the all-time scoring and rebound records. He went on to be a four-year starter as a forward at the University of Arizona from 1979 to 1983, where he was an eighth-round selection of the Portland Trail Blazers. As a senior, he was voted team MVP and team captain. As a junior, he was named team MVP and team captain as well as first team all-Pac 10 in 1981-82 after averaging 14.4 points and 7.8 rebounds. He ranks among the best all-time in Wildcat history with 1,329 career points, 84 blocked shots and a 53.4% field-goal shooting percent. A three-time team rebounding champion and four-time blocked shots leader and he also tallied 16 double-double performances over his last two seasons.

After being cut by the Trail Blazers at the end of training camp, Smith went on to have a professional career throughout the world, eventually in New Zealand, where he met and played with Carlton Cooper in 1987.

At the University of Arizona, Smith earned his bachelor's degree in personnel management with a minor in business management.

Smith and his wife, Kimberley have two children Alex (12) and Toiya (8).

Smith has three sisters - Marilyn, Francine and Sonda - who all live in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex area.

Judy Sackfield is entering her second year at Texas A&M University-Commerce as the Associate Athletic Director for Academic Affairs and Senior Woman Administrator. In addition, she is an adjunct faculty member within the A&M Commerce Health and Human Performance Department in the College of Education.

As the Associate Athletic Director for Academic Affairs and Senior Woman Administrator, Sackfield oversees the degree progress of all student-athletes, is responsible for the CHAMPS/Life Skills program, and academic support service initiatives. At A&M-Commerce, she is the sport administrator for the men’s and women’s cross country/track and field and volleyball programs.

A native of Scarborough, Ontario, who is a 1985 graduate of Clemson University, where she majored in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management. Sackfield played volleyball for the Tigers, where she was a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection. She went on to earn her Master’s of Education degree from UAB in 1998, with an emphasis in sports administration. Sackfield came to A&M-Commerce from UAB, where she served 10 years as the Associate Athletic Director for Academic Support Services. While at UAB, Sackfield was instrumental in developing a comprehensive advising unit with her primary focus dealing with the total development of the individual student-athlete. She was responsible for the student-athlete advisory committee and the CHAMPS/Life Skills program coordinator. She also served on the faculty within the Department of Human Studies in the School of Education.

Prior to her academic support services position, Sackfield was the head volleyball coach at UAB from 1992-1999 and Georgia Tech from 1985-1991. She is an active member of the N4A, NACADA, and NACDA. In addition, she has served on the CHAMPS Advisory Board for the Division IA Athletic Directors Association, as well as many other committees dealing with student-athlete well being.

Sackfield currently resides in Commerce, Texas with her dog, Zoe. Her sister, Diane Sackfield and niece, Alison Hinch resides in Kingston, Ontario.

Summer Spurlock is in her third year as an Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance after previously serving as an assistant women’s basketball coach for the Lions.

Among her duties are the administration and completion of NCAA certification of academic eligibility for A&M-Commerce student-athletes. Spurlock maintains eligibility and financial aid records on all student athletes and serves a vital role in the liaison relationship between academic advisors,  registrar, financial aid, scholarship and admissions offices. In addition to eligibility and financial aid responsibilities, she assists coaches in maintaining recruiting and playing and practice season records.

As an assistant coach, she was involved in the tutelage of five all-Lone Star Conference selections and was an all-conference performer herself in 2001-02 as a senior. In addition, she was a recipient of the Susie Knause Memorial Heart Award and was named to the CoSIDA/Verizon Academic All-District and All-American teams in 2002.

The Roswell, New Mexico native earned her bachelor’s degree in finance from A&M-Commerce in 2002 and completed her master’s of finance in 2007 also at A&M-Commerce.

She is the daughter of Charlie and Diane Sparnon, is married to Michael Spurlock of Commerce. They are the proud parents of a son, Damon.

Warren Young is in his second year as the Director of Sports Medicine at Texas A&M-Commerce.

Young serves as the sport administrator for the football program and the supervior of A&M-Commerce
athletic facilities - Memorial Stadium, T-Lounge and Whitley Gym.

Young has implemented the ImPaCT Concussion Management Program and added new equipment and treatment modalities to the sports medicine program at A&M-Commerce.

Before coming to A&M-Commerce, he served as the Assistant Football Athletic Trainer and Director of Undergraduate Student Athletic Trainer program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas for five years before coming to A&M-Commerce last fall. Young has also been involved with student athletic trainers as well as sports coverage, including track and field and cross country. In addition to his intercollegiate experience, he has worked as an assistant athletic trainer for a MLS team and a NFL team.

Away from work, he has been involved with the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association, Jesuit College Preparatory School and Ryan Gibson Foundation for Leukemia Advocacy.

Young is married to Annie Taszarek of Plano and the two have a dog, Hank and a cat, Honey.

Danny Kambel is in his third year as the Director of Public and Media Relations at Texas A&M-Commerce.

At A&M-Commerce, Kambel serves as the primary public and media relations liaision for all 11
intercollegiate sports. He also handles the production and design of athletics publications and
website (www.lionathletics.com).

Before coming to A&M-Commerce, Kambel spent three years as a media relations coordinator at Florida International University and two previous years as the assistant director for athletic media relations at Indiana State University. In addition, he did a pair of one-year internships at Indiana University and the U.S. Naval Academy.

He has served as the media coordinator for six conference championships, a NCAA regional and two NCAA Championships.

The Eldridge, Iowa native was selected in the spring of 2006 as one of 10 inaugural members to Columbus State Community College’s Sport and Exercise Sport Studies Hall of Fame. He earned his associate’s degree from CSCC in 1996 and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from the University of Toledo in 1999.

An active member of CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America), he served as the vice-chair of the career enhancement committee during 2004-05.