Arkansas State University on Monday announced the hiring of Chris Pezman as vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics.
Pezman comes to Jonesboro after seven years as athletics director at the University of Houston, where he guided the school’s move from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12 and boosted athletics revenue.
He also helped launch a $150 million capital campaign to improve the university’s athletics facilities. Major projects that took place during his tenure included the renovation and reopening of a 7,100-seat basketball arena; upgrades to the university’s baseball player development center; the opening of a banked indoor running track; and the opening of a student-athlete academics center.
Houston fired Pezman in June 2024 with two years remaining on his contract.
He previously spent more than 20 years at the University of California-Berkley in athletics department roles. Before then, he was director of operations at Houston’s Reliant Park, now known as NRG Park. The sports and entertainment complex hosts Houston Texans home games, the Houston Rodeo and other events.
Pezman follows Jeff Prurinton as A-State athletics director. Prurinton resigned in April after three years to join Learfield, a collegiate sports marketing firm.
In a statement, A-State Chancellor Todd Shields said, “We received great interest in the position and had an extremely strong pool of candidates, but throughout the process it became evident that Chris was the perfect fit for A-State and the right choice to lead our Athletics Department in an evolving national landscape. He has a strong national reputation as a leader and innovator in college athletics with an outstanding track record of competitive, academic and fundraising achievements, student-athlete development, community engagement and overall success.”
The university will host introductory press conference with Pezman on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.
“It’s an honor and privilege to be the Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics at Arkansas State University, and my family and I are excited to join the outstanding Jonesboro community,” Pezman said. “I want to thank Chancellor Shields, President Kelly, the Board of Trustees and the advisory committee for their confidence in me and for the opportunity to lead this tremendous athletics department. I’m looking forward to working with our exceptional student-athletes, coaches, staff, campus community, alumni, donors and fans to continue advancing A-State Athletics and its national brand.”
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