Northern Iowa University

Seb Gearhart has been hired as the new Manager of Business Development for UNI Athletics and LEARFIELD’s Panther Sports Properties. In this role, Gearhart will be responsible for creating and selling sponsorship packages, developing relationships with local, regional, and national companies, and maintaining partnerships with corporate partners and department staff. Mike Murray, the general manager of Panther Sports Properties, expressed excitement for Gearhart to use his experience from App State and education from UNI to help grow the organization.

Gearhart, a Cedar Falls native and 2022 UNI graduate, has returned to his alma mater after working for two years as a Partnership Service Coordinator at Appalachian State University. In this role, he managed partnerships between corporate sponsors, property staff, and the athletic department while overseeing partnership advertising inventory. Gearhart is looking forward to leveraging his experiences to demonstrate the value of partnerships with UNI Athletics to potential business partners.

During his time at UNI, Gearhart earned Bachelor’s degrees in Marketing and Business Administration with minors in Sports Administration and Entrepreneurship. He also interned for Panther Sports Properties and was a member of UNI’s track and field team, contributing to the Panthers’ 2021 Missouri Valley Conference indoor championship. Gearhart and his wife, Olivia, currently reside in Cedar Falls.