Jaden Gard was promoted to Director of Equipment Operations in January 2025, a role in which he is responsible for the oversight of the equipment and apparel for all Division I athletic programs at NAU. Gard initially joined NAU Athletics in July 2023 as an Equipment Graduate Assistant.
 
Gard arrived in Flagstaff from the University of Kansas, where he served as a student equipment manager for the men’s basketball team from 2019-23. During the Jayhawks' national championship season in 2021-22, Gard served as the head student equipment manager. Gard also completed an internship with Kansas Football equipment in the spring of 2023.
 
A native of Erie, Kan., Gard completed his undergraduate degree in sports management with a minor in business at Kansas in May 2023.