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Staff Directory
- Title:
- Senior Associate Director of Athletics, HR, Community and Compliance
- Email:
- Joined Brown:
- March 2022
- Alma Mater:
- Cincinnati '03
Karla A. Gacasan, Ph.D. serves as Senior Associate Director of Athletics at Brown University, overseeing Human Resources, Compliance, and Community Engagement for the Division of Athletics and Recreation.
Since joining Brown in March 2022, Gacasan has helped shape the division’s approach to culture, community engagement, organizational effectiveness, and leadership. As a member of the senior leadership team, she leads efforts focused on strengthening organizational culture, developing and supporting staff and leaders, and creating a more coordinated approach to community engagement and impact. Her portfolio brings together people and culture, community engagement, and athletics compliance, with an emphasis on connecting these areas to the broader priorities of Brown Athletics and the University.
Gacasan came to Brown after nearly six years at Auburn University, where she served as Assistant Athletics Director for Human Resources. Previously, she was Associate Athletics Director for Human Resources at the University of Cincinnati, following several years in university labor and employee relations. Her experience includes organizational design and restructuring, labor relations, workplace investigations, performance management, leadership development, and conflict resolution. She also served as adjunct faculty in Cincinnati’s School of Education, teaching graduate courses in mediation, peace education, and organizational development.
A three-time graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Gacasan earned a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management, a master’s degree in Labor and Employment Relations, and a Ph.D. in Educational Studies. Her doctoral research explored the theoretical foundations of diversity education and training.
With a career spanning corporate human resources, higher education, and intercollegiate athletics, Gacasan brings a people-centered and operationally pragmatic approach to building organizations where expectations are clear, leaders are equipped to lead, and people can do their best work.
Born in the Philippines and raised in San Jose, California, Gacasan now calls Rhode Island home.
