NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion University Athletics announced the hiring of LaFrancis McPherson for the role of Assistant Athletic Director for Business and Finance.
McPherson comes to ODU from Hampton University after spending the past year as their Assistant Athletic Director of Business Operations. She is the Owner and Business Consultant of Painting the Picture, LLC, which aids small to medium sized businesses in starting and expanding their business operations.
"When interviewing LaFrancis McPherson, she demonstrated a rare combination of business operations excellence,” said Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director for Business and Finance Nicole Turner. “We look forward to adding her leadership in financial management and business operations which will play a pivotal role in enhancing the Athletic department's efficiency,” added Turner.
While at Hampton, she designed and implemented tracking systems and dashboards to monitor the athletic department’s revenues and expenses. She also designed training programs and materials to ensure department-wide adherence to business processes and best practices.
“Her references from Hampton University indicated that LaFrancis approaches challenges with professionalism, innovation, and integrity—qualities that will make her an indispensable part of our team,” said Turner.
With Painting the Picture, she successfully assisted small businesses in securing Small Business Diversity certifications which increased their likelihood of government and corporate contracts. She also assisted startups with establishing legal business entities, developing strategic business models, and implementing financial forecast models.
Prior to working at Hampton and assisting small businesses, McPherson was the Director of Programming and Entertainment, Performing Arts Manager at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts. While she was there, Mcpherson helped secure the organization’s first international artist residency when she brought The Kyiv City Ballet for a historic four-day event.