The Collegiate Event and Facility Management Association (CEFMA) is proud to announce the winner of its 2025 Event Manager of the Year Award, Maya Brown, director of operations and events at Villanova University.
 
The Event Manager of the Year Award recognizes an athletics administrator who has hosted an inordinate number of events/championships on their campus over the course of the year and strives to enhance the quality of the experience for participating institutions and guests.
 
"The CEFMA Board of Directors is excited to honor Maya Brown as the 2025 Event Manager of the Year," said Brad Brown, senior associate AD/facilities and operations at NC State University and current CEFMA president. "Maya's unwavering dedication to delivering outstanding experiences for participants, fans, and staff has been instrumental to the success and lasting influence of her events. She is a rising star in our field, and we are eager to celebrate her achievements next month in Orlando."
 
Maya Brown
Maya Brown came to Villanova in November of 2022 and was promoted to director of athletic operations & events in June 2023. In her role, Brown oversees game day operations for the Wildcat Women's Basketball program, manages the guest services program and introduced a new athletics credentialing system. During her first year at VU, Brown assisted in managing the 2023 BIG EAST Track and Field Championships and the First and Second Round of the 2022 NCAA Women's March Madness hosted at Villanova.

This past year Brown implemented a large array of security procedures and best practices in line with industry standards at Villanova University. Brown spearheaded the implementation of Magnetometers for Villanova athletics events in conjunction with Villanova University and Radnor Township Police. She created a new athletics credentials system and is currently completing the process to onboard a new events security staffing vendor.

In the two and a half years Brown has been at Villanova, she has been instrumental in helping Villanova to reimagining the way it runs its events. Brown has implemented her experience and wisdom to remodel the gameday security and staffing situation, setting the path for sustainable success. Thanks to her input and collaborative work with the Villanova staff, the University's fans are safer and more connected.