Butch Jefferson will use his experience as a former NCAA Division I athlete, athletics administrator and his work in the business world to further develop the Liberty University student-athlete experience.
Jefferson, a former student-athlete at the University of Virginia and athletics academic coordinator for the Cavaliers, has been named Liberty’s new Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Engagement and Development.
“Butch Jefferson is a wonderful addition to our senior administrative staff,” said Director of Athletics Ian McCaw. “He is highly regarded throughout the Lynchburg community and will add tremendous value to the experience of Liberty student-athletes.”
In his new role, Jefferson will be responsible for all community engagement and development initiatives for Liberty’s 20 NCAA Division I athletics programs and 550-plus student-athletes.
Community service has long been at the core of the Liberty student-athlete experience. As part of the department’s drive to Train Champions for Christ on and off the field of competition, Liberty’s student-athletes have worked nearly 200 events and volunteered over 19,000 hours of volunteer service over the last two years in various community service projects.
Jefferson will also collaborate with a variety of groups on the Liberty University campus and throughout the greater Lynchburg community, as well as within the athletics department, to develop and implement programs to enrich the Flames’ student-athlete experience.
Jefferson will be tasked with building programs that emphasize community outreach, as well as professional, character, leadership and career development.
“I am extremely excited and honored to join Liberty University as a member of the Flames family,” commented to Jefferson. “I look forward to utilizing the gifts I’ve been blessed with through Servant Leadership within Athletics, as well as the continued fulfillment of helping build, cultivate and develop Champions for Christ with our student-athletes.”
A four-year scholarship player, Jefferson played on both the offensive and defensive lines for Virginia from 1998 to 2001 and was a letterwinner during his final season. He helped the Cavaliers make three-straight bowl game appearances from 1998 to 2000. Virginia finished the 1998 season with a 9-3 overall record and was ranked No. 18 in the final Associated Press poll.
During his time with the Cavaliers, Jefferson served as a part of Virginia’s Student-Athlete Mentor program, was a Captain’s Council Executive Board member and was one of two Virginia representatives on the ACC’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Following his playing days in Charlottesville, Jefferson returned to his alma mater in 2007 and spent six years as an Athletics Academic Coordinator with Virginia’s football program (2007-13).
During the six-year span, Jefferson served on the Athletics Diversity Committee and Athletics Mentor Group, and he was an executive member of the University of Virginia General Faculty Council.
Outside of his time working as a collegiate administrator at Virginia, Jefferson has worked in the private sector for more than a decade in a variety of roles and positions, most recently as a licensed real estate agent with Divine Fog Realty Company in Forest, Va.
Jefferson graduated from University of Virginia in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and a minor in anthropology. He completed his master’s degree in Leadership, Foundations & Policy from Virginia in 2003.
Jefferson is an active member of the Family Life Church in Lynchburg, Va., where he currently serves within the Membership Services Ministry. He has also served as Director of Singles Ministry, Director of Brotherhood Ministry, on the God’s Mighty Men Leadership staff, and as an Assistant Director of Television/Production ministry.
Jefferson is married to his wife, Zakia Jefferson (Liberty ’00), and they have two sons – Trey (9) and Jaxon (6).
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