UA Little Rock Welcomes Sweeden Dixon’s Return to Lead Little Rock Athletics Communications Team
Brandy Sweeden Dixon has returned to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to serve as the assistant athletic director of communications after more than a decade away from the collegiate athletics field.
“I am very excited to be back,” said Sweeden Dixon, who lives in Sherwood. “I previously worked here until 2012, and that was my first job out of graduate school. Little Rock Athletics has always felt like home to me, and this new position feels like coming home. I am excited to be over athletics communications and see how we can take it further. I am very happy because we have put together an amazing team, and we have one goal to promote Little Rock Athletics the best we can and get the word out about Little Rock’s teams and student-athletes.”
Sweeden Dixon will lead the communications team in an evolving collegiate landscape, coordinating the marketing and media efforts for the entire athletic department as well as serving as the primary contact for several designated sports.
“I am excited to have Brandy come on board as our assistant athletic director of communications,” said Director of Athletics George Lee. “She did an outstanding job with the Little Rock Marathon before joining our staff, and I know she will be instrumental in taking our athletic department to the next level.”
Sweeden Dixon previously worked at Little Rock Athletics from 2005 to 2012, where she covered volleyball, women’s basketball, cross country, and track and field as the assistant sports information director. In her new role, she will be the primary contact for men’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, and men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field.
Little Rock Athletics has undergone some changes since Sweeden Dixon’s time with the biggest change being UA Little Rock’s departure from the Sun Belt Conference to join the Ohio Valley Conference in 2022.
“We’ve always been a competitive school who wanted our student-athletes to succeed in the classroom and on the playing field. That’s never changed,” she said. “We are Little Rock’s team, and we are excited about competing in our second year in the OVC. We will continue to grow and continue to represent the city and the university well.”
Prior to joining UA Little Rock for the second time, Sweeden Dixon served as assistant manager of the Little Rock Marathon since 2021. She was responsible for planning and organizing set up, marketing and social media promotion, and overseeing volunteers, which could amount to more than 1,000 people during marathon weekends.
Sweeden Dixon has not left her love of marathons behind. In fact, she is currently training to run her first marathon at Disney World Jan. 7, 2024.
“I have gone crazy at 43 and am happily trying to run my first marathon,” she said. “If I am going to do my first marathon, it has to be Disney. There will be so many fun things to look at while I run. It will be a lot of fun.”
Before her time with the Little Rock Marathon, Sweeden Dixon spent several years in the hotel and resort events and hospitality industry, which took her to Alabama before bringing her back to Little Rock in 2019 as the senior event sales manager at the Little Rock Marriott. She handled networking, marketing, and sales and event planning and executing during her two years at the Marriott.
Sweeden Dixon began her journey in the hotel events and hospitality industry with the Hilton in Little Rock after leaving the Trojan athletic department in 2012. After two years as their sales manager, she spent the next five years in central Alabama, working her way up the ladder with stops at the DoubleTree by Hilton Decatur Riverfront, Hilton Birmingham Perimeter Park, Pursell Farms, and the Hyatt Regency.
Overall, Sweeden Dixon has assisted with nearly 30 large-scale events during her extensive career, including marathons across the country as well as multiple college basketball tournaments at the conference level and national level. A two-time graduate of Henderson State University, Sweeden Dixon holds a Master of Science in Sport Administration as well as a bachelor’s degree in mass media.
Sweeden Dixon is thankful to her husband Kris Dixon and her mother Barbara Sweeden of Murfreesboro for supporting her move back to UA Little Rock.
“My parents were always supportive of my career since I first studied journalism in college,” she said. “I appreciate the support of my husband because he is the one who encouraged me to get back to UA Little Rock. He knew how much I loved being here and being in athletics. I had some great support in getting back.”
