Shawn Buckner - Assistant Athletic Director of Learning Services - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Shawn Buckner

Title:
Assistant Athletic Director of Learning Services
Email:

Shawn Buckner was elevated to Assistant Athletic Director of Learning Services in August 2025 where he oversees the athletics departments learning specialists and tutors.

He joined the Houston Athletics Dominic & Ellen Ng Academic Center for Excellence staff as a Senior Learning Specialist and Tutor Coordinator in August 2021 before his promotion four years later.

In his role at Houston, Buckner leads and manages a cross-functional team of 53 part-time staff, including Learning Specialists, Academic Coaches, and Tutors, ensuring alignment with student learning and academic success goals. During his time with the Cougars, he executed a strategic growth plan that expanded Learning Support Services from two to 16 Strategic Learning Team members (700% growth) and the growth of the Academic Coaching program to a staff size of 10.

Before joining the Cougars academic staff, he served as an Athletic Academic Specialist at Prairie View A&M for two years providing guidance and support to student-athletes. From the men’s basketball, track and field, golf and women’s basketball programs.

Buckner spent time at two Big Ten programs working with Illinois and Maryland’s athletic departments as Assistant Learning Specialists at each school for a year each.

He got his start in athletics as a Marketing Assistant as his alma mater, Louisville, assisting with the implementation and coordination of themed in-game marketing promotions.

A native of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, he received his Bachelor of Science in Justice Administration from the University of Louisville in 2015 and his master's in business administration with a focus in Finance and Marketing from the Louisville in 2017.