Omar X. Easy, a former Penn State, Kansas City Chief, and Oakland Raider running back, has been appointed to lead The Penn State Brand Academy in an assistant athletic director role.

The academy was launched by Invent Penn State in partnership with Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. The Brand Academy is funded through the Wally Triplett Brand Academy Endowment and aims to support student-athletes in creating their brand for entrepreneurial success and Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities.

“I am excited and extremely grateful to be leading this initiative and directing the Brand Academy,” Easy said. “This is an amazing opportunity for our student-athletes and a privilege for me to serve in this leadership capacity in honor of our late great Wally Triplett, whom I had the distinct pleasure of knowing before he passed. Establishing this academy is nothing shy of innovative and forward-thinking as we navigate this ever-evolving NIL space.”

Easy will be tasked with building a nationally recognized student-athlete brand program, developing NIL strategies, overseeing educational programming, and coordinating events and resources that equip student-athletes with an entrepreneurial mindset and skills needed to navigate NIL opportunities.

“Dr. Easy has an extensive history in education, programming, and personal brand building through his own experiences in professional sports and higher education,” Deputy Athletics Director for Administration and External Operations Brandi Stuart said. “He also understands the demands on Penn State student-athletes as well as the opportunities associated with obtaining a degree from Penn State. With this generous endowment from the Wally Triplett Brand Academy and his vision for the program, our student-athletes will certainly have a unique opportunity to be leaders in the NIL space.”

Easy, who received his Ph.D. in educational leadership, his master’s in education administration, and his bachelor’s in broadcast journalism from Penn State, served as the director of football player development in 2012, when he supported students’ academic and personal development and promoted community relations for the football program.

The Brand Academy, housed in the Morgan Academic Center, will be an extension of the Invent Penn State entrepreneurial sphere within in the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub.