Dr. Stacey A. Hall, Professor of Sport Management at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM), has been named the new director of USM’s National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS⁴).

Hall has served as the center’s interim director following the retirement of Dr. Lou Marciani in April. She worked closely with Marciani in developing a blueprint for NCS⁴ when the idea was first conceived in 2006 and served as associate director from the center’ inception until 2013.

“The NCS⁴ team will work hard to build upon the foundation laid by Dr. Marciani,” said Hall. “He is a highly respected figure in the industry and must be commended on his legacy and growing the NCS⁴ brand. I am honored to be chosen as the next leader of NCS⁴ and very much excited to be back at the center.”

Hall, a native of Portadown, Northern Ireland, earned her undergraduate degree in management from USM in 2001; her MBA from USM in 2003 and her doctorate from USM (sport administration concentration) in 2006. She has been a member of the USM faculty since 2006.

“We will focus on elevating our research profile and have taken a significant first step by issuing the nation’s first sports and entertainment venue safety and security survey providing data-driven evidence of practices and technologies at facilities across the United States,” said Hall.

She says that another primary focus will be to establish a closer connection with academic partners at USM and nationwide, including a push to help students obtain internship and job opportunities in the sports security field. Further, NCS⁴ plans to build upon its training strengths through ongoing partnerships with DHS/FEMA and INTERPOL by adding new training courses that address industry gaps.