Deana Garner (Arizona State University Senior Associate Athletic Director & Senior Woman Administrator) came to ASU by way of the National Football League, where she was the director of security and player engagement. After earning a law degree at Indiana University, Garner Smith was a deputy prosecutor in the Marion County prosecutor’s office in Indianapolis, specializing in domestic violence. There, she witnessed a lot of terrible situations and saw the importance of intervention. She started to formulate the approach she has brought to ASU – talking about tough topics. In detail.

“You have to be proactive in talking with people, especially young people, about ways to stay safe, in particular young ladies,” Garner Smith said. “Because they may or may not have had conversations about healthy relationships, what a healthy relationship looks like and what an unhealthy relationship can end up being.  “How do you prevent it, and how do you extricate yourself from it?”

After leaving the prosecutor’s office, Garner Smith worked for the Indiana Gaming Commission and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Through her decade of work at the NCAA, she formed partnerships with the professional leagues, and in 2008, she went to work for the NFL. There, she developed life-skills programs that players participated in during the off-season.  Her time in the NFL was rewarding, but she came to ASU so she would have a chance to work with young athletes again.