Carlton Cooper is in his fourth year as the athletic director at Texas A&M University-Commerce after spending the previous nine years working for the athletic department at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. 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 and initiated an athletic director’s breakfast for student-athletes who earn a 3.0 or higher grade-point average during the year. He has been a driving force behind a significant upgrade to all the athletic facilities including the addition of the second largest scoreboard and video board in NCAA Division II athletics, the installation of bleachers to the east side of Memorial Stadium, air conditioning to the A&M-Commerce Field House, lights to the A&M-Commerce Soccer Field, a brand new football locker room, renovations to the coaches and athletic administration offices as well as the locker rooms and the athletic training and rehabilitation room, added new basketball goals with three-dimensional clocks and a new court. He has also implemented a compliance education program and increased community engagement and community awareness. Cooper has been an active speaker in the community speaking at the Dixie Softball Boys and Girls Convention, the all sports banquets at Mountain View College and Dallas Lincoln High School and the Paris ISD Black History Month. 

Under Cooper’s administration, the university has established partnerships with Domino’s Pizza, Nike, Pepsi and Pizza Hut. The university has proposed and passed its first athletic fee; plus, the annual giving, attendance, budget and sponsorships have all doubled. Also under his administration, the athletic department has also balanced its budget for three-straight years.  

Cooper currently serves on the Division II Athletic Director’s Association Executive Board of Directors for a four-year term. He 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 and renewed the Blue-Gold football scrimmage at the end of spring football practice. Cooper has started annual events including FCA GameDay and the John McLendon Foundation basketball game. He has brought back such traditional events as the Dr. Jesse J. Hawthorne Relays and the Margo Harbison cross country meet.

Under his leadership, seven individuals have earned All-American honors and 23 have received all region recognition. Lions’ student-athletes have also picked up 38 first team all-Lone Star Conference honors, 18 to the second team and 13 honorable mention. Academically, two have earned CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine academic all-district, 15 have been named to the LSC All-Academic Team and an additional 18 more were named to the conference’s Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Cooper has also hired Mark Pryor, the 2009 Lone Star Conference Volleyball Coach of the Year and Guy Morriss, the 2009 Lone Star Conference North Division Coach of the Year.

In his second year, in 2008, the women’s soccer team reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament, four members of the track and field team qualified for the NCAA Championships, the men’s golf team qualified for the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament.

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 was involved in the development of long-range and annual operating plans. From 1998 to 2000, Cooper served as the SMU’s Community Relations Director.

He 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, Ava and dog, Holiday.

Judy Sackfield joined the Texas A&M University-Commerce Staff January 2008 as the Associate Athletic Director for Academic Affairs and Senior Woman Administrator.

As the Associate Athletic Director for Academic Affairs, Sackfield manages the academic support services for student-athletes and is the advisor to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).  Sackfield oversees the NCAA degree progress, academic planning, and postgraduate opportunities for A&M commerce student-athletes. Sackfield has been instrumental in implementing academic support service initiatives and developing relationships within the academic departments throughout the A&M Commerce campus.  

At A&M-Commerce, Sackfield is the sport administrator over the men’s and woman’s basketball and volleyball programs.  She also serves as the UIL Championship Director for basketball, track & field and volleyball.  In addition, Sackfield is an instructor within the A&M Commence Health and Human Performance Department in the College of Education. 

Prior to Sackfield’s arrival at A&M-Commerce she was the Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services at UAB where she served 10 years directing the academic support unit.  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 1992-99 and Georgia Tech from 1985-91. She is an active member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA), and National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics (N4A).  In addition, she has served on the CHAMPS Advisory Board for the Division IA Athletic Directors Association.  Currently Sackfield serves on the NACWA Awards Committee and the NACWA 2010 Local Organizing Committee.  She has served as the chairperson on multiple job search committees as well as academic enhancement committees within the university.

The native of Scarborough Ontario, Canada, Sackfield is a graduate of Clemson University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management.  Sackfield earned her masters degree from UAB in Education with an emphasis in Sports Administration.  Sackfield played volleyball for the Clemson Tigers, where she was a four year letter winner and a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection.  

At Texas Southern, he planned, administered and monitored all aspects of compliance for the athletic department in accordance with university, NCAA and conference policies, regulations and procedures. He was also responsible for the oversight, monitoring and education related to NCAA personnel, recruiting, playing and practice seasons and sport sponsorship. Hill also was involved with the coordination between the University’s registrar and athletics’ academic department for certification of student-athlete eligibility.

Prior to that, he worked at NCAA Division I members, Florida Atlantic University as a compliance coordinator for nearly two years and Marshall University and Troy State University as an assistant compliance director.

In 2005, he took part in the NCAA Leadership Institute which is a year-long program to develop experience, knowledge and skills that enhance effective leadership.

Hill graduated from Auburn University with his bachelor’s degree in arts history and spent a year studying abroad in France before earning his law degree from Southern University in 2000. He recently completed a master’s of science degree from Troy in sports and fitness management.

Sammy Morrone is in his first season as the Director of Business Operations for the A&M-Commerce Athletic Department. He also oversees game day operations for home football games as well as assisting with operations for all of A&M-Commerce’s home events.

Morrone comes to A&M-Commerce from the business world, working as an associate accountant at Tetrick & Bartlett, PLLC and as a financial processor at Centra Bank in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Morrone earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from West Virginia University in 2008 where he also was a four-year member of the Mountaineer football team, including the 2005 Big East championship and 2007 Fiesta Bowl championship teams.

A native of nearby Paris, Morrone is a 2004 graduate of Paris High School where he was a member of the Wildcat football and baseball teams.

Christi Spruill was named the ticket coordinator at Texas A&M University-Commerce in December 2010 and handles a variety of responsibilities within the athletic department.