KENNESAW, Ga. | Feb 16, 2026

Kennesaw State University alumnus Javon Tucker ’23 is acquainted with the old saying that you should never meet your heroes. The Bachelor of Science in Sport Management graduate had that in mind when he transferred to KSU in 2021 and noticed a familiar name on his class schedule.

He was enrolled in associate professor B. Nalani Butler’s sport management course, and he wondered where he had seen her name before. He discovered that she had co-written a textbook used in a course at his previous institution, one he had read with pleasure. Within the first few classes, he realized Butler was special.

“They say to never meet your heroes, but I would have to disagree,” said Tucker, now the coordinator of game operations and broadcasting for the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. “Meeting her was a full circle moment for me, having worked with the textbook she wrote. Dr. Butler has been so much more than a mentor and an inspiration for me, she’s become a friend and a peer.”

Butler joined KSU’s faculty in 2019, bringing with her significant expertise in sport and culture, sports facilities, event management, and sports administration. Along with Ronald Woods, an adjunct professor of health science and human performance at the University of Tampa, she co-authored “Social Issues in Sport,” now in its fifth edition and a staple of literature in sport management majors.

As a researcher, she has examined and published scholarly work on both voluntary and involuntary migration among athletes and coaches who relocate internationally for competitive sport opportunities. Recently Butler has published and presented on inclusive sports, getting KSU students involved with Special Olympics, where students work with athletes who have an intellectual disability, and learn to navigate how to make sport participation inclusive for everyone; including KSU’s own Academy for Inclusive Learning and Social Growth located in Wellstar College of Health and Human Services.

As an instructor, Butler has taught classes in facilities, event management, international sports, and the sociology of sports. For the sport management majors she teaches at KSU, she aims to give them tools they can use in the professional world.

“I want every student in my classes to come away with a bullet point for their resumes,” said Butler, who played soccer at Xavier University in Ohio. “The events class is one of my favorite classes to teach, and when they do their exit interviews for the major, I've been told that class gets the most traction. A lot of students had said this class got them the job they were seeking.”

Tucker earned his bullet point in the events class, and said his experience helped him hire on with the Dream. A tour of Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium made him aware of the career possibilities in facilities and event management, building on what he learned in class.

“It’s one thing to learn about these things in class, but when we toured the Benz, they were converting it from football to soccer, and I learned a lot that day about stadium operations,” he said. “That really opened my eyes to something I could make a career.”

For senior sport management major Alejandra Tobon, Butler’s influence came to bear during a case study competition hosted by the U.S. Soccer Federation. Butler recruited her out of the sport sociology class in Spring 2025 for networking opportunities with the federation, as well as for the case study competition, which took place last fall.

Along with KSU graduate DJ Rieker ’25 and current students Maya Phillips and Tiffany Au, Tobon helped create a promotion plan to create interest in the NCAA men’s soccer tournament. Teams presented their plan to a panel of federation officials, who narrowed the field to 20 finalists for another round of presentations at Clark Atlanta University.

Among roughly 100 teams, the KSU group finished third in the competition. Tobon said the team owed its success to Butler’s expertise in soccer as well as her deep knowledge of the administrative aspects of sports to say nothing of the professor’s energy and passion.

“She has so many connections and loves to spread awareness to all these things in sports, like the case study competition,” said Tobon, who currently works with KSU’s athletics department as a communications intern. “If it weren’t for her, I’d still be so shy, but now I know how to network and talk to people. She’s one of the best mentors I’ve ever had.”

Beyond championing student success, Butler has made a significant mark in research. She recently won the Office of Research’s Apex Award as one of the top three researchers in the Wellstar College. She maintains a diverse portfolio of classes and study, and she’s just as curious as anyone to see what’s next.

“I’m doing a lot of everything, and that’s what I like about being a professor at KSU,” she said. “What’s been the coolest thing at KSU is how organically everything has been thanks to students who have gone on to do cool things, now wanting to come back to help my classes. It’s a real full-circle moment.”

– Story by Dave Shelles

Photos by Matt Yung

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 51,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university's vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.