Spinning Plates, Going Places: Jax State Alumna Andrea Moultrie Finds Opportunity, Open Doors through Education
By Katie Edwards
Andrea Moultrie has been to all the places that make the avid sports fan swoon. College football playoffs. Super Bowls (four of them.) She hasn’t just been to those places. She has been paid to go. And she’s just getting started.
A two-time Jax State grad, Andrea received an undergraduate degree in Marketing in 2012 and her graduate degree in Sports Management in 2015, and she says the opportunities Jax State offered her set the tone for life-changing opportunities. Andrea was a Delta Sigma Theta, Jax State Ambassador, Peer Educator, STAT member, and the first female President of Jax State’s chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi co-ed business fraternity.
“I found myself saying, ‘I know there’s more out there. How can I leverage my education to get into those spaces?’” How did she go from graduation to working in sports operations for major sporting events? Andrea says it’s all about learning, connecting, and being bold. “You have to be in a position to ask nicely for something you want,” she says. “The worst they can say is no.” Andrea began working for ESPN in 2015. While in that position, a door opened as Birmingham Bowl Volunteer Chair, and Andrea walked right in. She did all of this while working as a full-time manager at a hotel, but never losing sight of her goal. “I found myself saying, ‘I know there’s more out there. How can I leverage my education to get into those spaces?’”
Most recently, Andrea accepted a position as the Volunteer Events Coordinator for USA Pickleball, the fastest-growing sport in the country, and has relocated to Phoenix, AZ. That goal she never lost sight of? It’s the Olympics, and Andrea believes pickleball just may be her ticket to watching the USA go for the gold. “Pickleball isn’t an Olympic sport yet,” she concedes, “but maybe by 2032. Anything is possible. And I’m going to be there for it.”
"Anything is possible. And I’m going to be there for it.” While Andrea now lives over 1,700 miles from the Friendliest Campus in the South, she still fondly recalls the day she visited Jax State. “It was the most beautiful campus my twin sister and I had seen. It wasn’t too far from home, but it was far enough for me to be able to grow up and learn about myself.” What Andrea learned was the importance of getting involved early. She encourages prospective students to begin looking into what they may want to be involved in when they arrive at Jax State, and she encourages Freshmen not to limit themselves. “Jump in! Get involved,” suggests Andrea, “because Jax State provides wonderful opportunities for students to work with people from all different walks of life. It allowed me to learn from mistakes, manage my time well, and keep lots of plates spinning.”
That’s one thing she seems to have mastered—spinning plates, so to speak. Andrea is engaged fully with her job, but also with the university that she loves. “By staying engaged, I can be a resource for the university that gave so much to me. I have nothing but great things to say about Jax State.”