Indiana Wesleyan University

Steven Gidley was promoted to Associate Athletic Director for External Operations on July 1, 2021. Gidley handles the day-to-day operations of the Department’s Marketing & Branding, Donor & Alumni Relations, Community Relations, Ticketing & Promotions, and yearly events such as the Jack & Marge Colescott Golf Scramble and the Wildcat Annual Awards Banquet. He also serves as the supervisor for the Director of Sports Information.. 

Since his return to Indiana Wesleyan in 2017, Gidley has played an integral part in the growth and brand awareness of Indiana Wesleyan Athletics. During his time, he has successfully launched two new IWUWildcats.com websites with the most recent being voted No. 3 in the NAIA. His vision and rebrand of the Wildcats social media has led to 20% growth on all platforms, while Instagram experienced a 28% growth during the 2018-19 sports seasons. His knack for creativity led to the start of the Department’s #MissioninAction initiative and #18United groups during COVID-19.

Managing 15-25 student workers at a time, Gidley has successfully launched a student-driven digital media team that produces over 100+ custom graphics and videos yearly, garnering 15 CoSIDA awards (2019 (8) 2020 (7) 2021 (5)) as a group. 

Gidley has played a major part in the yearly NAIA Opening round events, serving as the Tournament Director for the 2020 NAIA Women’s Soccer Opening Round while assisting or serving as the Media Director on eight other National Tournament events. In addition, he has coordinated the creation of the Wildcat Reading Program, IWU Cares, Turkey Toss, & #18UNITED. 

Prior to IWU, Gidley got his start in Sports Information at the University of Northern Colorado, where he served as the Assistant Director of Sports Information while also working with ESPN Events in the Media Department.

Gidley is a 2013 graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University and holds a Masters in Athletic Administration from Western Kentucky University.  He resides in Marion, Indiana with his wife Jaclyn (12’) and their dog Clare.