ARLINGTON, Texas – The Cotton Bowl Athletic Association announced today that Kennedy Gardner is joining the staff as a CBAA Fred McClure Intern for the 2022-23 season. She officially joined the CBAA staff on June 6.

Gardner becomes the second person to garner the title of CBAA Fred McClure Intern. A year ago, the CBAA revived and renamed its internship program in honor of Fred McClure, the first African American to serve as CBAA Chairman and the first person to serve two terms (1998-2002) in that role.

In her role, Gardner supports the day-to-day operations of the CBAA office and assists with operational aspects of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, including event management, game operations, ancillary events, ticketing, hospitality and pageantry, Cotton Bowl Foundation and community service events and initiatives and regular-season college football games played at AT&T Stadium.

"We are excited to welcome Kennedy to our Cotton Bowl family," said CBAA President/Chief Executive Officer Rick Baker. "Her experiences are going to bring a unique perspective to our staff and allow her to develop and grow during her internship with us."

Gardner graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Sports Entertainment Management from the University of North Texas in May and was recognized as the BBA Sports Entertainment Management Student of the Year for 2021-22. During her time at North Texas, she served as student manager for the women's basketball program, was a member of the Sports Marketing Association and helped coordinate social events for more than 800 students as an ambassador/event coordinator for the UNT African Student Organization.

The Grand Prairie, Texas, native has worked as a project event coordinator with ESPN Events, supporting the execution of bowl games in Fort Worth and Frisco, Texas. She has also worked as sales intern with the Frisco RoughRiders and served as a volunteer/consultant for GULF (Giving Us Leadership and Focus), a nonprofit organization that teaches troubled youth job skills to become entrepreneurs, for events at Globe Life Field.

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