Kat Smith serves as the Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director (Chief Revenue Officer/Senior Woman Administrator)/Executive Director of HAF. She assumed that role in June 2026.
Smith is responsible for oversight of the department's comprehensive revenue generation strategy while continuing to provide executive leadership of the Hilltopper Athletic Foundation (HAF). She oversees the day-to-day operations of the Hilltopper Athletic Foundation as well as the WKU Ticket Office. She is responsible for managing fundraising efforts and annual fund revenue, securing major gifts for capital projects and sport-specific enhancement funds, and selling premium seating tickets. Additionally, Smith will serve as the department's Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) and as a member of the department's executive leadership team.
Smith had previously served as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development and Ticket Sales and the Executive Director of the Hilltopper Athletic Foundation since May 2025. Prior to that she was Associate Athletic Director and Executive Director of HAF since September 2022. She initially joined the WKU staff in 2021.
In addition to her responsibilities as Executive Director, Smith also serves as the sport supervisor for Men's Basketball. She was previously the sport supervisor for Softball.
She was a softball letterwinner at WKU during the 2014-17 seasons and was named to the C-USA All-Tournament Team as a sophomore, finishing with a .409 batting average on the season. Smith is fifth in program history in career earned run average and fourth in season appearances.
The former Kat Downing is the granddaughter of Dero Downing, who played basketball at WKU for legendary head coach E.A. Diddle and later became president of WKU.
A two-time graduate of WKU, Smith earned a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in broadcasting in 2017 and a Master’s in Business Administration in 2023. Smith and her husband Matt are natives of Bowling Green and have two sons, Drew and Luke.
(Updated July 2026)
