Ashton Henderson - Staff Directory - Michigan State University Athletics

Staff Directory

Ashton Henderson

Title:
Deputy Athletic Director/Championship Resources & Culture
Email:
Phone:
432-3150

Ashton Henderson, a four-year letterwinner for Spartan football (2006-09), was promoted to Deputy Athletic Director/Championship Resources & Culture in February 2023. He returned to his alma mater as Executive Associate Athletics Director for Championship Resources in February 2022.

Henderson oversees the following units in Spartan Athletics: Student-Athlete Development, Nutrition, Athletic Training, Varsity S, Athletic Performance, NIL, Wellness/Performance, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Under his leadership, Michigan State's "EverGreen" NIL program was awarded the Best Institutional Program in the nation at the 2023 NIL Summit in Atlanta.

Henderson's primary focus is on student-facing areas associated with health, mental and physical wellness, and student-athlete engagement. He also works closely with various campus partners in those areas to collaboratively create opportunities and build connections to further enhance the development of student-athletes that extends beyond their time at MSU. In addition, he works with assigned sports in a sport supervisor role.

“A former student-athlete himself, Ashton has dedicated his professional life to the development of student-athletes,” said MSU Vice President/Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Alan Haller. “Not only does he bring tremendous work experience and connections across college athletics, he has a national reputation for being an individual who cares about all aspects of the student-athlete experience."

Henderson returned to East Lansing in 2022 from the Detroit Pistons, where he served as the Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion beginning in February 2021. He was the first individual to hold the position and transformed the way DEI practices were implemented throughout the organization. In 2021, Henderson was named DEI Champion by the Sports Inclusion Conference.

Before his work in the NBA, Henderson developed a long track record of student-athlete development at the collegiate level, including stops at Florida State (twice) and Clemson, after getting his start at Michigan State.

Henderson served as an Academic Program Specialist at Florida State University (2012-13), where he worked with the football and track and field programs. After his stint at Florida State, Henderson was promoted to Associate Director of Football Academic Services at Clemson University (2013-16). During this timeframe, Henderson also served as the Chair for National Association for Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals’ (N4A) Ethnic Concerns Committee. In 2016, Henderson rejoined Florida State University as a Senior Academic Advisor and Seminole Leadership Program Coordinator (2016-21). Henderson transformed the Seminole Leadership Program into a one-credit course that has since morphed into a two-credit course. All freshman student-athletes have been encouraged to take this course, which provides infrastructure to build culture, enhance personal brand development, and ensure character development is at the focal point of the developmental process.

In 2018, Henderson was promoted to Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development & Leadership. He also served as the sport administrator for track and field and cross country and had secondary oversight for football. In 2019, Henderson was named Chief Inclusion Officer for the athletic department, while also serving on the President’s Council for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (2017-20). Henderson partnered with the Florida State College of Business to launch a “Professional Development” course for juniors and seniors to prepare them for life beyond college athletics. With Name, Image and Likeness on the horizon, Henderson prioritized a plan to supplement education and prepare young people to learn more about taxes and maximizing their brand. He chaired the NIL taskforce (APEX) at Florida State, which remains in place today.

His commitment to student-athletes extends beyond his place of employment as he is a valued leader on the national level. He is the Past President of the N4A (2021-2022), which is the largest affiliate group under the NACDA umbrella with over 2,000 plus members. Henderson also has won several Association (N4A) awards over the years: Professional Excellence (2020); Model Practice Award - Florida State University (LYFE Program, 2019); and the Professional Promise Award (2015). In addition, he was the recipient of the Cheryl M. Gilliam Young Alumni Award in 2019 presented by the MSU Varsity "S" Club. He is also a proud graduate of the NCAA Pathway Program & The FBS Athletics Director (Lead 1) Diversity Fellowship Program where both programs are designed to prepare administrators to become Athletic Directors and or Conference Commissioners.

Henderson’s professional career began as a graduate assistant in Michigan State’s Student-Athlete Support Services.

As a student-athlete on the football team, Henderson saw action as both a defensive back and on special teams. In his freshman season (2006), he returned a blocked punt 33 yards for a touchdown vs. Northwestern to help fuel the greatest comeback in NCAA Division I-A history as the Spartans rallied from a 35-point deficit for a 41-38 victory.

Henderson holds two degrees from Michigan State: a bachelor’s degree in advertising (2010) and a master’s degree in public relations (2012). In 2024, Henderson was named to the College of Communication Arts & Sciences “Outstanding Alumni Award” which is the college's highest honor for alums. He completed his Master of Business Administration at Florida State in 2019.