Over the course of his 30 years as a fixture in the University of Arkansas’ sports information office, Kevin Trainor has had a “front row seat for Razorback history, working with legends like Frank Broyles, Bev Lewis, Nolan Richardson, Dave Van Horn and John McDonnell.”
His mentors include Coach Broyles, Herb Vincent with the Southeastern Conference, and Cotton Bowl media director Charlie Fiss who gave him his first big break to work the Cotton Bowl as a college sophomore. Now he’s worked more than 30.
Trainor’s done “a lot of amazing things, been at a lot of amazing events, but I always go back to the individuals, the relationships, the friendships I’ve built over the years. I believe you don’t work for someone; you work alongside them. I’ve seen that modeled in many different leadership styles. All the individuals I mentioned have different styles, but all were effective because they were invested and passionate about what they were doing, and they valued people.”
In August, Trainor took on a new role at the university — chief operating officer and associate executive director for the UA Alumni Association.
From Kansas, Trainor graduated from the UA in 1994 in journalism and earned his master’s in 2005.
Starting in the UA’s sports information department in 1995, Trainor was named sports information director in 2000. That year, at age 28, he was chosen for the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s Forty Under 40. He moved into a senior department role in 2018.
Trainor recently finished his term as national president of College Sports Communicators, a group of 3,500 sports communicators. He’s on the boards of the College Baseball Hall of Fame, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, Brandon Burlsworth Foundation, the Football Writers Association, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame and is the Public Relations Society of America Southwest District Board chair-elect.
For many years, Trainor’s been the lead team media liaison for the College Football Playoff Championship, on the media team for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, press conference moderator for the nationally televised Southeastern Conference Football media days, and on the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee communications team.
When asked what he’s learned over his career, he said, “Sometimes it’s not necessarily the message, but who’s delivering it and when it’s delivered.” He emphasized the importance of “social and emotional intelligence” in leading people and not getting derailed by criticism, but “believe in what you’re doing and having trusted people help guide you.”
In the past few years, Trainor said college athletics have changed, “probably as much or more than in my first 27 in that space. A few pillars of the transformation” include “name, image and likeness, the transfer portal, the changing structure of the NCAA and revenue sharing with student-athletes.
“I’ve been affiliated with the University of Arkansas now into my fourth decade, and it’s been a passion. But I’ve certainly lived a charmed life,” he said. He’s enjoyed his career and identifies with Broyles who repeatedly said, “he never worked a day in his life.”
“I believe it’s a calling that was a passion for years, and now I’ve translated to another passion, continuing to serve my alma mater but in a different role,” he said. “That’s what’s motivating, to see the impact of the Alumni Association that’s led to someone seeing their name engraved on senior walk, and when they bring back their children and when they bring back their grandchildren, they’ve left a legacy here. They’re our legacy, and that’s meaningful work — what we’re doing now isn’t just about the past.”
In his new role, Trainor will work with 200,000 alumni spread across the country and worldwide to get them connected to the university.
“I’m excited about Chancellor [Charles] Robinson’s leadership and where this university is going,” Trainor said. “It’s a wonderful place, and I think the Arkansas Alumni Association is going to play a key part in helping us move forward.”
Trainor and wife, Ruth, enjoy Razorback athletic events and travel. They have two daughters, Emma, in athletic media relations at Ole Miss, and Ellie, a junior at the UA.