Emma Kumar joined Ball State Foundation as associate athletics director in February 2021 and added the roles of Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) and sport supervisor (XC/T&F) to her responsibilities in July 2023. Kumar previously served as a key member of the Tulane Athletics fundraising team, where she spearheaded several transformational fundraising initiatives.

During her time at Tulane, Kumar demonstrated exceptional leadership in developing and implementing targeted major gift and annual giving acquisition strategies to address the philanthropic needs of the program. These campaigns resulted in millions of dollars of additional revenue and thousands of new supporters for the Green Wave. Her innovation and engagement of new supporters will leave a lasting, positive impact at Tulane for years to come.

Kumar also played a pivotal role in securing major gift dollars through individual major gift support for the $1.5 billion university-wide campaign, Only the Audacious. She was a valuable member of the athletics team which closed major gifts for critical projects, including a weight room facility upgrade, academic center renovation, and more than doubled membership for the leadership giving society.

Before joining Tulane, Kumar was the director of development operations for a nonprofit organization in Minnesota, ACES (Athletes Committed to Educating Students) and spent time with the University of Minnesota working with athletics annual giving.

As a former student-athlete and aspiring athletics director, Kumar is passionate about the impact of fundraising on the student-athlete experience and the community. She believes that philanthropy can provide the necessary support to help student-athletes succeed during their time at Ball State and beyond.

Kumar earned her bachelor's degree in exercise science and biomedical studies from St. Olaf College, where she was a letterwinner in soccer and track & field. She is currently completing her master's degree from Tulane University.