Bethany Fortson, a 2023 graduate of Kennesaw State University and former president of its Student Government Association, has achieved her goal of working in player development and community relations for a Division I athletics program. After completing her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science at KSU, Fortson earned a master’s degree in sport management from Georgia State University in 2025. She now serves as director of player development and community relations for the Georgia State women’s basketball team.
Fortson credits her upbringing in Hull, Georgia, and her parents’ involvement in the community with inspiring her own commitment to outreach. As a student-athlete at Madison County High School, she captained the basketball team before bringing her leadership skills to KSU. There, she interned as an athletic trainer with the football team and was elected SGA president.
“From my time working with KSU athletics and with KSU’s administration, I realized there’s a really big gap between student-athletes and students. So just being able to have another opportunity to try to bridge that gap was just something that really was attractive to me,” Fortson said.
During graduate school at Georgia State, Fortson worked at the campus recreation center as a graduate assistant while pursuing internships such as one with World Sports Travel. At the 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Cleveland, she met Georgia State women’s basketball coach Gene Hill. This connection led to her role as graduate assistant for the team during the 2024-25 season before transitioning into a full-time position after graduation.
Her responsibilities include managing equipment needs, organizing community events, supporting student-athletes individually, assisting with practices, and keeping statistics on game days. Fortson said her experience as SGA president helps when working both with students and administrators.
Coach Hill praised Fortson’s work ethic: “I love working with Bethany, which is why it was an easy decision to hire her into a full-time role,” he said. “She requires no micromanagement, a rare quality for someone so early in their career, and she is consistently proactive. The best part of working with her is that she’s a genuinely great person who brings positive energy every single day.”
Fortson will soon face Kennesaw State—her alma mater—for the first time since joining Georgia State when the Panthers host the Owls on Sunday afternoon. While acknowledging some nostalgia for KSU, she expressed enthusiasm for representing her current team.
“I will say last year when we went to Kennesaw, that was a little tough, but they’re coming to Atlanta this time,” she said. “I won’t have that nostalgia, but I still do love my alma mater.”
