LAPLACE — LaPlace native Raven Campbell has made her family proud as a first generation college graduate. However, earning her master’s degree in May was only one step toward her greater goal to become a collegiate athletic director.

With the strides she’s made lately, she is well on her way to making that dream come true.

Campbell, 27, was recently named a junior board member for the Fore!Kids Foundation, a nonprofit corporation that donates to children’s charities and coordinates the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic.

Since May, she has worked as a program coordinator for Tulane University’s bowling, baseball, swim/dive and sailing programs.

After graduating from Riverside Academy in 2011, Campbell pursued an undergraduate degree in kinesiology and sports management at Grambling State University. Athletic directors and Grambling State Hall of Fame inductees Aaron James and Patricia Cage-Bibbs took Campbell under their wings and changed the course of her life.

“They gave me opportunities,” Campbell said. “They let me travel. They put me in meetings with major donors. They opened their homes and resources to me. By finding a way to be invested in me, they’ve created a ripple effect, bot just for me to be successful, but for my family. I’m a first generation college graduate, and I think it will ultimately lead to me having a greater legacy when I establish myself as an AD.”

Campbell graduated from Grambling in 2015 and started a master of business administration at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2017, specializing in sales leadership, marketing and operations.

Campbell had just finished working as a community relations and promotions intern for the New Orleans Baby Cakes when she was approached by a Fore!Kids Foundation board member who asked if she would like to help with the Zurich Classic.

For the past two years, she has worked as a ticket operations and front office intern for the Zurich Classic while completing her MBA. Along the way, she has gained valuable experience in business and leadership.

Now officially a junior board member, Campbell has the opportunity to leave a greater impact on the program.

“It’s awesome that I get to be part of a multi-million dollar event that impacts the Gulf Coast,” Campbell said. “I’m truly honored to be given this opportunity.”

Helping kids through golf is more than a mission for members of the Fore!Kids Foundation. Since 1958, Fore!Kids has raised money for children’s services through charitable golf tournaments. The organization has raised more than $30 million to date and has provided healthcare and education resources for more than 200,000 children each year, according to Zurich Classic organizers.

Board member John Barranco said Campbell is a good fit for the board because she has proved to be a hard worker.

“I think she’s got great organization skills and attention to detail, and she will be a great addition to this organization,” Barranco said.

“It’s about the lives I get to touch and the career I get to pursue, being in sports,” Campbell said. “There’s not bigger platform to touch people than to be in sports. There’s a lot of background and behind the scenes work that you do, but by the end of the day, the bottom line is bigger by touching people and making events that are bigger than just the corporate dollar.”

Campbell has especially enjoyed working for Tulane University, and she considers it a first class institution. Managing expenses and travel for the teams are part of her day-to-day responsibilities.

The bowling team she oversees is currently ranked No. 14 in the country.

“Being a program coordinator for so many sports has definitely given me experience that you can’t pay for, and it’s separated me from different individuals as I pursue my goal of ultimately wanting to be an athletic director,” Campbell said.