RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas Tech University Director of Athletics Abby Davis has announced the promotions of Amy Anderson and
Daniel Gallegos to the role of Associate Athletic Director for their respective areas, joining Brett "Duke" Waldon, who is the Associate Athletic Director of Sports Medicine. Additionally, Davis announced the addition of
Whitt Piker to the department as the Coordinator of Game Day Operations and Fan Engagement.
"A leader is only as strong as the team around them, and Arkansas Tech Athletics is fortunate to have two of the very best," remarked Davis. "Amy and Daniel are among the most respected and professional administrators in Division II. Their dedication to our student-athletes, coaches, and the athletics profession is evident every day in their work and in the meaningful relationships they maintain across our campus community. Both are truly deserving of their promotion to Associate Athletic Director.
On the addition of Piker, Davis added, "Since joining the team a few weeks ago, Whitt has made an immediate impact. Our student-athletes, campus community and fans are already experiencing the positive difference he brings to game days. We are excited to be a part of his vision to elevate everything to the next level."
Anderson has been associated with ATU Athletics for over two decades. She was a multi-sport student-athlete and was the most successful women's golf coach at Tech before transitioning to athletic administration. Anderson now continues her career in athletic administration and is now the Associate AD for Compliance and Student-Athlete Success. Additionally, Anderson remains the department's Senior Woman Administrator.
Prior to the promotion, Anderson had spent the last five years in athletic administration serving in roles of SWA, Director of Student-Athlete Success and an Athletic Development officer.
As the women's golf coach, Anderson led the Golden Suns to unprecedented success.
Over the course of a nine-year stretch from 2011-2019, Anderson guided the Golden Suns to six Great American Conference Championships and was named conference coach of the year six times as well. Beginning in 2013, Anderson began a streak of seven-straight years in which the program qualified for the regional tournament.
Anderson and the Golden Suns would go on to advance to the National Championship Tournament in five of those seven years as they finished no worse than third at the regional tournament. In 2017, the Golden Suns would win their first-ever regional tournament championship.
Lauded four times as the WGCA Central Region Coach of Year (2020, 2019, 2017 and 2014), Anderson had a golfer be named GAC Women's Golfer of the Year seven times.
Gallegos, a 15-year veteran in the field of athletic communications with experience at all three NCAA levels, is now the Associate Athletic Director for Athletic Communications at Tech. His promotion comes after serving the past five years as the Director of Athletic Communications.
In both roles, Gallegos leads an office that is responsible for all aspects of external communication and messaging for Tech Athletics.
Over the course of his career, Gallegos has been a voting member of the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) Central Region ranking committee for Men's and Women's Basketball as well as the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA) Central Region ranking committee.
Beginning in the spring of 2024, Gallegos became the Central Region chair for the NCBWA and served on the national ranking committee while also being a contributor to the NCBWA All-Region and All-America selection process. Gallegos has also served as the Women's Basketball Central Region chair for Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CAA) since 2021-2022, facilitating All-Region voting.
Most-recently, Gallegos was voted by his peers to serve on the Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) Board as the Central Region Representative.
Piker, the newest member of the Tech Athletic Department, assumes the role of Coordinator of Game Day Operations and Fan Engagement. In his role, Piker oversees all aspects of game day execution while also leading new fan engagement initiatives designed to connect the campus and community through Wonder Boys and Golden Suns athletics.
A lifelong Arkansan, Piker has called Russellville home for the past 25 years and brings with him deep ties to the community. An avid sports fan, he is passionate about building traditions that bring people together and enhancing the overall game day experience for fans of all ages.
