As an avid tennis player, former triathlete, and longtime advocate for youth sports, Emmy Hufnagel knows the impact of the game doesn’t end when kids leave the field; it stays with them forever, shaping their future.
Recently stepping into the role of Development Director, Emmy brings a wealth of experience and passion to the Fields & Futures team, drawing on her background as both a competitive athlete and a leader in nonprofit development. She has dedicated her career to opening doors for young people, particularly in underserved communities, and she’s ready to serve Oklahoma City’s urban core with that same tenacity.
In this interview, Emmy reflects on the values that drive her, the unique opportunities ahead for Fields & Futures, and why she believes the future plays here.
What is your name and title at Fields & Futures?
I’m Emmy Hufnagel, and I recently joined the Fields & Futures team as their Development Director.
Explain your roles and responsibilities as Fields & Futures’ Development Director.
My role is to oversee and manage all charitable contributions to Fields & Futures, including gifts from individuals, corporations, and foundations.
I maintain and cultivate donor relationships, manage grants, and help plan our annual fundraising events. I love to meet new people and share our impact with donors from the unique perspective of our strong relationship with Oklahoma City Public Schools and other key community partners.
Give us a brief history of your career path or previous experiences that led to this position at Fields & Futures.
I’m an attorney who found my calling in youth advocacy through tennis.
After five years of practicing law, I spent a few years developing and managing the OU Tennis Club before serving for 10 years as founding Executive Director of First Serve OKC, a nonprofit that invests in youth through tennis. I’m so proud of what we built at FSOKC and for the continued growth under Tony Mullican’s leadership.
In 2022, I joined the Santa Fe Family Life Center to help develop opportunities for individuals with disabilities through sports and fitness.
My time with FSOKC and the SFFLC has given me a unique perspective on the incredible impact Fields & Futures has had on our city. Now, as the organization shifts focus from building fields to putting more kids on those fields, I’m thrilled for the opportunity to bring my experience and voice to this amazing leadership team.
My first priority as Development Director is to express our profound gratitude to our donors, who have helped build 70 athletic fields, courts, and tracks across OKCPS.
What are your immediate goals or objectives as Development Director?
My first priority in this role is to express our profound gratitude to our donors, who have helped build 70 athletic fields, courts, and tracks across OKCPS over the past 12 years, and invite them to share in our vision of increasing participation in youth sports across the district.
What are your long-term goals or objectives as Development Director?
Looking a little farther down the road, my first goal is to create and fund title sponsorships for all OKCPS middle and high school athletic programs. We’ll invite these “Pathway Partners” to invest in what’s most meaningful to them, whether that’s through a sport or school they love or a special initiative, like growing girls’ sports participation or creating adaptive sports opportunities for kids with disabilities.
Next, I want to expand our Booster Club to help support all programming initiatives so that OKCPS schools can have no-cut sports programs, allowing ALL students to join a team and stay on track toward graduation.
How important are sports in the development of a young person? Why do you feel this way?
Being on a team is like belonging to a family. Oklahoma is amongst the worst states in the country for the number of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) that our kids endure. Movement, friendship, and belonging can help heal and give purpose. Simply belonging to a team can carry kids through the most challenging years of their lives when they’re going through so much change.
Some of my strongest and most enduring relationships from childhood are with girls from my high school tennis team. I still play in USTA leagues with a couple of my old teammates. Angie and Abby, I know you’re reading this! Creating lifelong connections with people through sports is just the best.
Fields & Futures’ mission is to help underserved kids and communities realize their purpose and potential by creating more opportunities to play team sports. Or, as we like to say on social media, #MoreKidsOnMoreTeams. Why do you believe in this mission?
As a team, you’re part of something bigger than yourself. You try, fail, try again, succeed, learn, and grow together, and that’s so validating. You’re not alone in the journey. Others are depending on you and investing in you… and a coach can make or break your experience.
Coaches are responsible for creating a culture where kids can grow and be empowered to do things they didn’t know were possible and may not be able to achieve on their own. The life lessons kids learn on teams apply to almost all relationships and are formative for their future career, family, and community involvement.
What does “The Future Plays Here” mean to you?
It’s indisputable that investing in our youth through sports can and does improve the quality of life in our city.
Based on current OKCPS sports participation and graduation numbers, there is a lifetime economic impact on the Oklahoma City economy of $7,000,000 for every 1% increase in OKCPS high school sports participation.
Unfortunately, Oklahoma has some of the lowest public education outcomes in the United States. Regionally, we rank near the bottom when it comes to investment in education, spending less per student than Kansas, Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, New Mexico, and Colorado. Through strong nonprofit programs and community partnerships, we can fill this gap.
I know in my heart that the future leaders of our communities, state, and even country are right here in OKC’s urban core. They just need opportunities to discover and prove their potential. That’s what “The Future Plays Here” means to me. And by investing in the proven positive impact of sports on youth development, we can show it.
I know in my heart that the future leaders of our communities, state, and even country are right here in OKC’s urban core.
Fields & Futures has built 70 outdoor fields, tracks, and courts since 2012. Now that the fields have been built, how can we ensure there are teams to use them?
I recently learned from an OKCPS student-athlete that her cross-country team struggles to feed kids before and after practices and races, find funding for uniforms and equipment, and secure transportation for meets.
OKCPS is the state’s largest district in terms of geography and enrollment and includes some of Oklahoma’s most economically disadvantaged zip codes. This means the district is expected to spread limited dollars across many schools and students. For these kids to thrive and their teams to succeed, we need to create positive experiences and a culture of caring by continually investing in coaching support, equipment, transportation, food, and more.
The fields have been built and will be maintained for years to come, but our greatest responsibility right now is to ensure kids, coaches, and teams have the resources to play, grow, and thrive.
As Development Director, what opportunities do you see to attract or engage new donor bases or program partners?
I look forward to opening dialogue and creating focus groups to learn from coaches, players, parents, school administrators, and community partners about their needs.
I’d love to include our Pathway Partners in these discussions so they can learn firsthand how their involvement helps and how we can create a legacy through giving.
What opportunities do you see for expanding Fields & Futures programming?
The Simon Greiner Track & Field Program is our flagship sports programming model, which can be expanded to all district sports.
Our Executive Director, David Crynes, came on board in 2020 to direct this program. Under his guidance, OKCPS cross-country and track & field participation has increased by more than 370% since 2021. During the 2023-2024 school year, Simon Greiner Program events engaged 4,319 OKCPS elementary school, middle school, and high school students.
Whether we’re talking to a student looking for a team to join or a donor who wants to invest in a specific sport, our goal is to welcome everyone with the same response: “YES, we have the perfect spot for you!”
In the future, when you step back and look at the impact you’ve had on Fields & Futures, OKCPS, and the urban core youth sports community, what specific outcome or outcomes would make you feel like your tenure was a success?
Success for me will come when our donors, students, families, teachers, and coaches ALL feel like they’re on the same team. Through our work, we can break down barriers and create a cohesive community where everyone wins.
