About Us

AD Advisors is a Circle of Support

Led by former Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs, sports and entertainment executive Jeff Holbrook, former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, high-performance wellbeing expert Carlette Patterson, and former CAA operations executive Ashley Hovey — together, more than 100 years in sports, media, and entertainment.

Our Mission For You

At AD Advisors, we are dedicated to creating a robust and empowering circle of support for athletic directors. Our mission is to provide comprehensive guidance, strategic insights, and a collaborative community that enables athletic directors to excel in their roles. By fostering an environment of shared knowledge and expertise, we aim to enhance the professional development and success of athletic directors, ensuring they have the support they need to navigate coaching and wellbeing challenges, make informed decisions in the modern student-athlete environment, and elevate the overall standard of excellence in sport.

Meet The Team

Carlette Patterson

Strategic Performance Advisor
Founder & CEO, Patterson Sports Ventures

30+ years across the NFL, the NBA Developmental League, and collegiate and international high-performance sport.

Jay Jacobs

Athletics Director and Department Advisor
Athletics Director at Auburn University, 2005–2018

Auburn’s athletics director through 12 national championships, including the 2010 BCS title.

Ari Fleischer

Communications Advisor
Former White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush

Media trained 10+ NFL teams; worked with MLB, NASCAR, the College Football Playoff and LIV Golf.

Jeff Holbrook

Revenue and Brand Advisor
CEO, Potentia Athletic Partners

$50M+ in revenue generated. Creator of RELIVE IT and the “Relive the Miracle” events.

Ashley Hovey

Strategy & Operations Advisor
Former SVP, Global Business Services at CAA

$2.5B in spend managed and $200M+ in measurable value delivered.

Where We’ve Been

We’ve already run the room.

Between them, the circle has led, advised, and operated inside:

Auburn
Florida
UNLV
Arizona State
Syracuse
Texas A&M
University of Virginia
West Point
The White House
CAA
ESPN
Disney
Paramount
IMG / Endeavor
The NFL
MLB
NASCAR
The College Football Playoff
LIV Golf
Professional Bull Riders
Phoenix Coyotes
Buffalo Sabres
NBA Developmental League
Patterson Sports Ventures
Potentia Athletic Partners

These are the organizations our advisors have led or advised across their careers — named for the experience they brought into the circle. AD Advisors itself partners directly with athletic departments and conferences; our published research with Timark Partners has been covered by ESPN and the Sports Business Journal.