Dr. Susan Blackwood​

Dr. Susan Blackwood became executive director of the San Antonio Sports Foundation in 1996. For the next 17 years she led the organization, creating monumental change for the Foundation and the community around her. ​

Blackwood’s expansion of San Antonio Sports’ outreach to youth programs was particularly notable. In 2012, she initiated the SPARK program, creating school parks for local elementary and middle schools. As of 2024, San Antonio Sports has worked to give 39 schools their own park. Blackwood also created the Fit Family Challenge, Go! Kids Challenge and Kids Rock youth programs. During her tenure, San Antonio hosted four NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Fours, two NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championships and the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon. She also provided San Antonio Sports leadership for the Bexar County Venue Project that resulted in 13 new athletic facilities across the county. ​

When Blackwood retired from the position in 2013, San Antonio Sports’ annual budget had grown from $125,000 to $3.4 million. She helped produce over $425 million in direct visitor spending on sport tourism in San Antonio. Even when she retired, she continued to help her community, heading up a $15 million legacy funding campaign for the Foundation that would support kids’ programs for many years to come. Blackwood is currently an assistant professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio.​