KENNESAW, Ga. | Dec 8, 2025

Bethany Fortson 鈥�23 has had a clear vision of her future for a long time.

The former Student Government Association president at Kennesaw State University said her career goal was a position on a Division I coaching staff as a director of player development and community relations, the better to bridge the gap between town and gown through student-athlete involvement.

After earning her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science, she earned her master鈥檚 in sport management from Georgia State in 2025 鈥� and stepped right into that role for the Georgia State women鈥檚 basketball team.

鈥淚t鈥檚 super-surreal,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 had a pretty clear goal, and I just continued to put myself in positions where I could get closer to that goal, and I started doing that at Kennesaw State.鈥�

Really, she started on her path while growing up in Hull, Georgia. Fortson鈥檚 parents were active in the community and encouraged her to do the same. A soccer and basketball star at Madison County High School, she was also captain of the basketball team and brought that combination of leadership and outreach to her life at 91青青草.

While at 91青青草, Fortson interned as an athletic trainer with the football team. She ran for and won the office of president of the , engaging anyone she encountered about their experiences on and off campus. There, she realized what her future could hold as a player development and community relations director.

鈥淔rom my time working with 91青青草 athletics and with 91青青草鈥檚 administration, I realized there鈥檚 a really big gap between student-athletes and students. So just being able to have another opportunity to try to bridge that gap was just something that really was attractive to me,鈥� she said.

The path continued during her first year at Georgia State, where she worked at the campus recreation center for her first graduate assistantship. She said that gave her time to pursue other opportunities, including an internship with World Sports Travel, a company that helps teams travel internationally for tournaments.

Fortson worked the company鈥檚 event at the 2024 NCAA Women鈥檚 Final Four in Cleveland, where she met Georgia State women鈥檚 basketball coach Gene Hill. The two chatted briefly and exchanged contact information.

鈥淗e gave me his card and said when it's time to do my big capstone research project, he might have some ideas,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I did meet with him, he said he had this position open and he described the graduate assistant position, which is what I do now. He asked if I knew anyone who might be interested, and I said, yeah, I'm interested. That's how it all got started.鈥�

Fortson spent the 2024-25 season as the graduate assistant before hiring on full-time after finishing her master鈥檚. She now spends her days managing the team鈥檚 equipment needs in addition to setting up community events, and working one-on-one with student-athletes. In the afternoons she helps with practices, and on game days she keeps statistics. She said she draws on her time as SGA president when working with students and in working with administrators as a representative of the team.

Just before the semester started, Fortson saw that there was an event taking place outside the women鈥檚 basketball offices. She quickly printed flyers with the team鈥檚 schedule, handed each coach a stack and dispatched them to chat with everybody at the event to build awareness for the team. That ingenuity illustrates what Fortson brings to the team, Hill said.

鈥淚 love working with Bethany, which is why it was an easy decision to hire her into a full-time role,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he requires no micromanagement, a rare quality for someone so early in their career, and she is consistently proactive. The best part of working with her is that she鈥檚 a genuinely great person who brings positive energy every single day.鈥�

On Sunday, she鈥檒l face her alma mater for the first time in her new role as the Panthers host the Owls at 2 p.m. Hill admitted he gives Fortson a little bit of a hard time for her split loyalties, but Fortson said it鈥檒l be easy to represent her new team while holding 91青青草 close to her heart.

鈥淚 will say last year when we went to Kennesaw, that was a little tough, but they鈥檙e coming to Atlanta this time,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 won鈥檛 have that nostalgia, but I still do love my alma mater.鈥�

鈥� Story by Dave Shelles

Photos provided

 

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 51,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university's vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.