As a Cal State Fullerton basketball player, Carolyn Gill was known as a stout defender, elite rebounder and two-time Big West Hustle Player of the Year. She brings that same intensity as director of marketing and fan engagements for Titan Athletics.

"As a former athlete, I know what it's like being inside the program. I want to make the experience better for student-athletes coming after me and connect them with their fellow students, boosters and the local community. This is my passion," she said.

Gill, who has a communications degree and an MBA in marketing from Fullerton, served as an intern before being named marketing director in January 2023. About six months later, she split the department into three divisions: social media, game-day operations and engagements, which Gill describes as "pretty much every marketing tactic that you can think of to engage the fan base."

On Sunday, Gill and her staff of student interns will be busy at a soccer doubleheader at Titan Stadium. The first 200 fans at the 2 p.m. women's game between Fullerton and New Mexico will receive vuvuzelas, the popular plastic-horn noisemakers. Fourth-year Titans players will be honored at a pre-game Senior Day ceremony.

At 5 p.m., the Fullerton men's team will play its home opener against Grand Canyon. Plastic tubes known as thunder sticks will be distributed to fans. After the game, the men's team will hold an autograph session that includes free team posters.

On Oct. 9, a "Pack the House" promotion is planned as part of the women's volleyball home opener against CSUN. The game will be the first competition at Titan Gym since the facility underwent major improvements. "We're pushing to get 1,000 fans," said Gill. "Pom-poms will be given out, and we'll have a DJ and special songs to cheer on the team."

Gill, who was born and raised in Oakland, is uniquely qualified to head the marketing department, said Senior Associate Athletics Director Greg Paules.

"As a former Fullerton student-athlete and MBA graduate, Carolyn brings a unique and invaluable perspective. She's not only deeply connected to the culture of our program, but she's also putting her education into action every day," said Paules.

"She has elevated our marketing efforts with professionalism, creativity, and precision. We've seen significant growth in fan engagement, social media impressions, and collaborations both on campus and with the community."

Gill's department conducts campus and community outreach and develops partnerships with local businesses. "I don't think any other department works with as many campus offices as we do. From sports information and ticketing to development and the Titans Sports Network, we work with everyone," she said

Initially, Gill's team consisted of a graduate assistant and seven interns. She now has more than 50 student interns. About 30 interns work in social media,10 on game-day operations and 10 in engagement. Most interns use digital cameras and iPhones to film content.

"Social media is a year-round operation. I quickly realized the need for interns. We have 18 sports teams, and all year there should be between two and four posts per week for each team, if you are doing it right," said Gill. Facebook, Instagram, campus digital boards and calendars are used to reach online audiences.

Interns working on game-day operations handle videoboard operations including images and graphics, sound, DJs and music and in-game promotions. Bryce Rollins, Fullerton's game day operations coordinator, works with the interns at sporting events. He and Gill meet regularly to review the interns' performances.


Fullerton student  interns who excelled  in engagements, social media and game-day operations are honored at an appreciation banquet last spring.

Gill's favorite promotion is "Beat the Beach," which is held when the basketball teams play arch-rival Long Beach State. A tailgate party is held outside Titan Gym "We have food trucks, give out 'Beat the Beach' T-shirts and hand out materials for students to make signs. It is my biggest pride and joy," she said.

Another popular promotion is "Tuffy's Birthday," a salute to the school's beloved mascot, which is held in mid-January at a home basketball game. It includes a cake, party favors and giveaways.

One engagement goal is to bring the "front end," or south end, of campus to the north side to attend games. Engagement interns also give Titan Athletics a presence at parades, festival and events in nearby communities.

A new engagement campaign, "Tuffy's Hot Spots of the Week," is planned to begin during basketball season. Fullerton students who attend games will be able to use their digital tickets to receive discounts at local businesses.

Jayden Fernandez, an undergrad with a double major in communications and kinesiology, has served as an intern for two years. Fernandez, who is also a cheerleader, has worked across the board in social media, game-day operations and engagement.

"My internship has provided an opportunity to improve my public speaking, communication skills and ability to interact with the fans," said Fernandez, who serves as an emcee at games.

"Carolyn really is a positive person. She is willing to teach you new things and guiding you to deliver the right message for the right audience. I've learned a lot from her about being creative and thinking outside the box."

Creating ideas for social media campaigns and in-game promotions is a collaborative process, Gill said.

"I appreciated traditions. As an intern, I learned the ropes of what we have done and how we can enhance that. I'll be in bed falling asleep when ideas pop in my head. A lot of ideas come from our interns. They might have a grand idea. I'll tell them, 'Let me take that on a smaller scale and flip it to what we can do resource-wise.' "


Fullerton student  interns who excelled  in engagements, social media and game-day operations are honored at an appreciation banquet last spring.

Gill hasn't just made her mark in basketball and marketing. Gill has contributed as an analyst and producer for the Titans Sports Network ESPN+ broadcast.

She has composed scripts, edited packages, produced and appeared on air for the sports Preview Show, while also providing live commentary for Fullerton basketball and volleyball games. And she works as an analyst on ESPN+ broadcasts for UC Irvine women's basketball games.

"Carolyn is like a unicorn," said Timothy Jackson, Fullerton's assistant athletic director of broadcasting, facility and events."

"When we started our broadcasting on ESPN+, [Director of Athletics] Jim Donovan mentioned that we should look at Carolyn as a broadcaster. I brought her in to talk. I could tell after five minutes that she had the knowledge and energy to be on the air."

Gill's first appearance was as an analyst on a softball game. "Carolyn showed up with information on the players – she had done her homework. She was great on the air despite not having a background in the sport. That spoke volumes. The Long Beach State AD happened to be in the press box, and he told me she was a natural."

"It was a no-brainer to make her a host when we launched our sports Preview Show. As a grad student, she was the main host the whole year. Her personality really carried the show. If she fully committed to being a broadcaster, she would be big time."

"Carolyn really goes the extra mile to get students involved in Titan Athletics. She gets the most out of her marketing staff. They really enjoy working for her."

As an intern, Gill helped continue the Stampede, a project to ensure there are student sections at every venue. Student ambassadors are on hand to help fire up the crowd.

"We had more than 10,000 students -- attend all of our sporting events in the last school year. My goal this year is 20,000," said Gill. "We haven't seen these attendance numbers in quite a while. I've told our interns, 'You are making history.' "