Notre Dame promotes Olivia Mitchell to director of football operations

Notre Dame has hired 2016 graduate Olivia Mitchell as its new director of football operations.

Mitchell worked as Notre Dame’s assistant director of football operations last year under former director of football operations Jason Michelson, who left head coach Brian Kelly’s program following the 2019 season. Mitchell is the eighth woman actively working as a director of football operations for a Power Five program.

Mitchell isn’t the first woman to serve as Notre Dame’s director of football operations. Erica Genise held the title from 2002-04 under former head coach Tyrone Willingham.

"I’m beyond thankful to coach Kelly and Notre Dame football for this opportunity,” Mitchell said in a statement provided to the Tribune. “We have an amazing support staff here, and I’m humbled to be a part of a group that works hard each and every day to help fulfill our mission to graduate champions.”

As Notre Dame’s director of football operations, Mitchell will supervise and coordinate many of the program’s administrative and operational details, including team travel, preseason camp arrangements, the annual coaches clinic and summer camps. She will report to Ron Powlus, Notre Dame’s associate athletic director for football.

Mitchell has been involved with the Irish football program since her freshman year as an ND student. In four years, she worked her way up to senior recruiting assistant. Mitchell, who also was a cheerleader for the Irish, interned with sports agency Athletes First and the Chicago Bears as an undergraduate.

Upon graduating in 2016 with a degree in marketing, Mitchell took a job as a team operations intern for the College Football Playoff. She returned to Notre Dame in 2017 as a football operations intern before being promoted to coordinator of football operations.