Andrew Stafford

• M.S., Sport and Recreation Leadership, James Madison University
• B.A., Exercise and Sport Science (Sport Administration), University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Andrew Stafford joined Lenoir-Rhyne University in 2024 as assistant athletic director for compliance, bringing a broad background in NCAA compliance, student-athlete development and athletic administration. In his role at LR, Stafford leads the university’s NCAA compliance operations, ensuring alignment with institutional, conference and NCAA rules and regulations.

He came to Hickory from Elon University, where he most recently served as assistant director of compliance. While at Elon, Stafford managed a range of responsibilities including the development of the university’s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policy, initial eligibility certification and rules education for student-athletes and staff. He also oversaw the institution’s compliance systems through the ARMS platform and worked closely with campus offices such as Admission, Financial Aid, Residence Life, Academics and the Bursar’s Office to ensure comprehensive support for the athletics program.

Prior to his work in compliance, Stafford served for two years as Elon’s assistant director of student-athlete services. In that role, he developed and delivered personal and professional development programming for more than 400 student-athletes across 17 sports. He advised the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), launched a financial literacy curriculum, created two for-credit leadership development courses and facilitated Title IX and gender violence prevention education for staff and athletes.

While earning his master’s degree at James Madison University, Stafford worked with the JMU football program under former LR head coach Mike Houston, serving as assistant to the head coach after a successful tenure as an operations and recruiting intern.