Ratcliffe & Devenport promoted to new roles

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Derita Ratcliffe has been promoted to deputy athletics director of student-athlete wellness and senior woman administrator (SWA) and Kat Devenport has been named chief of staff, vice chancellor and director of athletics Hunter Yurachek announced on Tuesday.

Ratcliffe, who has served as a senior associate athletics director since April 2017, will assume the SWA role previously held by Julie Cromer Peoples. Devenport, a former Razorback soccer student-athlete, joined Razorback Athletics in 2013 after graduating from the UA Law School. She previously served the department as a compliance coordinator and most recently as director of administration.

“Derita and Kat are both outstanding athletics administrators who are ready to take on expanded roles with Razorback Athletics,” Yurachek said. “Derita has worked in intercollegiate athletics for more than two decades, including serving previously as a director of athletics and an SWA at other institutions. In addition to her SWA duties, she will continue to lead our sports performance services team and serve as the sports administrator for several of our programs. As a former Razorback student-athlete, Kat gives our department an informed perspective on how we can best serve our more than 460 student-athletes. She has been a tremendous asset to our leadership team and the entire department.”

Ratcliffe will continue to serve as the sport administrator for women’s basketball and men’s and women’s cross country and track and field as well as provide supervision of the department’s sports performance services, including athletic training, strength and conditioning, psychological services and nutrition programs. Ratcliffe brings more than 20 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics and came to the University of Arkansas from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where she spent eight and half years as Senior Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator (SWA). Prior to UAB, Ratcliffe served in a variety of roles at a number of different institutions, including nearly four years as the director of athletics at Kentucky State University.

Devenport will help oversee strategic planning initiatives for Razorback Athletics as well as the department’s policies and procedures. She will coordinate the department’s staff engagement and development program as well as coordinate communication with the department’s leadership team. Devenport will also serve as the sport administrator for soccer.

Yurachek also announced that longtime Razorback Athletics administrator Kevin Trainor will oversee the program’s outreach to former student-athletes and coaches. As Senior Associate Athletics Director for Public Relations and Former Student-Athlete Engagement, Trainor will work in conjunction with the A Club and the Razorback Foundation to further enhance and maintain the connection between former Razorbacks and the current program.

In addition, Yurachek announced that Jon Fagg will now serve as the Deputy Director of Athletics, Academics, Integrity and Student-Athlete Development as well as taking on additional duties as the sport administrator for football.