Institute Team

Quashan Lockett

Rooted in purpose and driven by impact, Quashan is focused on shaping the industry through a disruptive, inclusive, and people-centered approach. With a foundation in organizational psychology, he builds, advises, and invests in mission-driven brands and ventures at the intersection of sport, culture, community, and impact. In 2020, he was honored as one of the top leaders in sport under 40 by Leaders Sports Awards, recognizing his transformative impact on the industry. As a dynamic business leader, Quashan has over 20 years of experience scaling high-growth companies and leading strategic transformations across sports, media, entertainment and hospitality industries. He brings a unique combination of strategic vision, operational excellence, and people-centered leadership, with a proven track record of success in both Chief Operating Officer and Chief People Officer roles – building organizational culture, systems, capabilities, and infrastructure to advance strategic alignment, drive scalable growth, and create lasting impact.

Currently serving as Chief Operating Officer of the Pac-12 Conference, as a member of the senior leadership team and executive committee Quashan oversees all people, organizational, financial, and administrative operations across the Conference and its related entities and ultimately serves and supports the Pac-12’s staff, student-athletes, and member universities. He originally joined the Pac-12 in 2022 as their first-ever Chief People and Inclusion Officer, driving people and culture strategy and providing strategic direction and oversight for all human resources, talent management, diversity, equity and inclusion, organizational development, change management, and internal communications activities. He is also the Founder of Color of Sports, a purpose-driven change agency helping improve organizational performance and capabilities for brands, ventures, and companies across sports, media, and entertainment.

Throughout his career Quashan has built a reputation for being a thoughtful and impactful leader who thrives in fast-paced, complex, multi-stakeholder organizations. Before the Pac-12, Quashan held senior leadership roles at On Location and Legends, delivering innovative people and organizational strategies for iconic brands and rights holders in sports, media, entertainment, music and fashion including the NFL, NBA, NCAA, MLB, International Olympic Committee, New York Fashion Week, Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, University of Notre Dame, Real Madrid CF, FC Barcelona, Live Nation and numerous music artists, tours, and festivals.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Quashan currently resides in Dallas, TX with his wife Brandi, their son, and their two daughters. Quashan earned a bachelor’s degree in labor and employment relations from Rutgers University, a master’s degree in organizational psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and is certified as a senior human resources professional by both the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and HR Certification Institute (HRCI).