Tamika Catchings named Fever VP of Basketball Operations

Dr. Allison Barber named just second president of Indiana franchise.

The Indiana Fever are kicking off their 20th season of basketball in a big way. In a press conference Monday morning, the team named former star Tamika Catchings as the new Vice President of Basketball Operations.

The Fever will also have a new president going into the 2019 season; Dr. Allison Barber will become just the second person to lead the Indiana franchise after former president Kelly Krauskopf joined the Indiana Pacers organization in December.

“I’m ecstatic about advancing my role with the Fever,” Catchings said in a news release from the team. “Opportunities like this don’t happen often and I look forward to working with Allison and [Fever Head Coach/General Manager] Pokey [Chatman] to help lead our franchise. On the court, we have such a great young core and we will continue to build our players and embrace the opportunity to grow our fan base in the community.”

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After a remarkable 15 seasons on the court for the Fever, Catchings joined Pacers Sports and Entertainment as the Director of Player Programs and Franchise Development in 2017. She also owns a local tea shop, Tea’s Me Cafe, in the Indianapolis area.

Dr. Barber will officially join the Fever on March 18. She currently serves as the chancellor of Western Governors University-Indiana, an online competency-based university, and the president of its fundraising arm. She previously worked in strategic communications and in the White House under President George W. Bush.

“I am energized by this new opportunity to serve our team, our city and state as the new President of the Indiana Fever,” Dr. Barber said. “The team and I will work to earn the support of our fans through our commitment, our competitive spirit and our contribution. I am optimistic about our future.”

Fever head coach and general manager Pokey Chatman, who took part in the press conference Monday morning, agreed.

“Bringing Allison to our franchise and watching Tamika step into a larger role has leadership written all over it,” she said. “Our franchise is fortunate to have the support of Pacers Sports & Entertainment and I know this will benefit our team as we head into the 2019 season. I’m confident we will land another quality player with the third pick in the upcoming draft, and along with our returning core and growth of last year’s rookie class, we are positioning ourselves to return to the playoffs.”

The Fever also released their new “All For Love” campaign as part of their 20th season of basketball, beginning with an inspirational video spot on Twitter:

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