Recognizing Next-Level Leadership

Joey Gawrysiak, Ph.D., the executive director of esports at Syracuse University and professor of practice at the David B. Falk College of Sport, has been named Director of the Year by the National Association of Esports Coaches and Directors (NAECAD), the leading professional organization for esports leaders across K–12, collegiate, and professional settings.

The award recognizes a director who has built a program that serves as a benchmark for excellence, competitive integrity, and student development. Since joining Syracuse University in 2023, Gawrysiak has helped transform it into one of the most recognized names in collegiate esports education, earning national attention from industry organizations and peers alike.

"While I am honored to be recognized for a prestigious award like this from NAECAD and my peers, the recognition really goes to the work of the entire staff and students in the esports program at Syracuse, as well as other directors and coaches around the country helping to shape what esports looks like in education," Gawrysiak said.

Gawrysiak came to Syracuse with pioneering credentials, having previously developed one of the first esports degree programs in the country at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. At Syracuse University, he led the launch of the esports communications and management bachelor's degree program, a joint offering between Falk College and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, which debuted in fall 2024 and prepares students for meaningful careers across esports business and management, communications, and media and design. He has also fostered relationships with major esports organizations, creating partnerships that have opened doors for students to pursue jobs, internships, and immersion experiences around the world.

Central to the program's rise has been the development of world-class facilities. Under Gawrysiak's leadership, Syracuse has opened several major esports venues on campus, including a 20,000-square-foot headquarters at the Marley Education Center featuring a professional broadcast studio, team rooms, classrooms, and a competition auditorium that seats more than 150 spectators. The program's combination of academic rigor and hands-on, real-world production experience has drawn recognition far beyond campus.

Earlier this year, the Esports Trade Association honored Syracuse with its 2026 Industry Award for Esports Scholastic Impact, with ESTA noting that what Gawrysiak and the University have built in less than three years is unlike anything else in collegiate esports.

The NAECAD Director of the Year award adds to a growing list of honors that reflect Gawrysiak's standing as one of the foremost leaders in the field, and the esports program at Syracuse University as being in a league all its own.