JONESBORO, Ark. (6/2/25) – Chris Pezman, a former student-athlete and 30-year veteran of the sports and entertainment industry, has been named the Red Wolves’ Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics, Arkansas State University Chancellor Dr. Todd Shields announced Monday.

“We are excited to announce Chris Pezman as our next Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics,” said Shields. “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.”

Pezman becomes A-State’s 14th Director of Athletics after most recently serving in the same capacity at his alma mater, the University of Houston, from 2017-24. Pezman has also served at the University of California-Berkley, two previous stints with the University of Houston and more than a decade in administrative positions at Reliant Park in Houston, now known as NRG Park.

“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,” said Pezman. “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.”

An introductory press conference open to the public will be held Wednesday, June 4, at 11:30 a.m. The press conference will take place in the Centennial Bank Athletics Operations Center, located in the north end zone of Centennial Bank Stadium, and be streamed live on the Arkansas State Athletics Facebook page (/AStateRedWolves). The press conference will also be carried live on the Ticket Radio Network (95.3 FM, 96.9 FM and 970 AM in Jonesboro) and through the EAB Media app.

During his tenure as Houston’s Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Pezman orchestrated the Cougars’ move to the Big 12 Conference and guided the athletics department to unprecedented growth driven by competitive success, revenue generation and student-athlete development.

With Pezman at the helm, UH captured more than 30 conference championships across nine different sports and consistently participated in NCAA postseason competition, including the men’s basketball team reaching five consecutive NCAA Tournaments and making a Final Four appearance in 2021. The Cougars’ success in the classroom during the same time span was also evident as more than 500 student-athletes were named to the university’s Dean’s List and over 400 earned their degrees.

Houston’s athletics facilities flourished under his watch as he implemented a “Houston Rise” capital campaign, focused on raising $150 million to help address essential capital priorities that included a state-of-the-art facility to house Cougar Football.

Houston opened the Fertitta Center, one of the nation’s top collegiate basketball facilities, in December 2018 and sold out more than 60 games during Pezman’s tenure. Other major upgrades or new projects included a baseball player development center, volleyball training courts and locker room, softball stadium reconstruction, an indoor banked track inside Yeoman Fieldhouse and the Dominic and Ellen Ng Academic Center for Excellence.

“Chris Pezman has established himself as a highly-respected leader in intercollegiate athletics throughout the course of his career, which is marked by a history of excellence in athletics administration,” said ASU System President Dr. Brendan Kelly. “He possesses a diverse background of experience and brings great energy, which will enhance our Athletics Department and make him a valuable resource within our larger ecosystem. We are excited to welcome him and his family to our Red Wolves family.”

Prior to his time at Houston, where he was a football student-athlete and graduate assistant football coach under John Jenkins and Kim Helton, respectively, Pezman spent four years as a Senior Associate Athletics Director at the University of California-Berkeley.

His oversight included Facilities, Operations & Event Management and Capital Projects/Chief Operating Officer, and he reorganized his units to gain operational and financial efficiencies and instituted a comprehensive work order system to appropriately maintain $1 billion in physical assets under his purview.

Pezman oversaw Capital Projects for the Golden Bears, which included the $10 million Haas Pavilion scoreboard and audio improvements project, $5 million Underhill field hockey facility, La Loma field hockey practice facility and Maxwell Field/Stadium parking garage. At Cal, he also served as the primary football administrator, working with then-head football coach Sonny Dykes.

Pezman went to Cal after serving as Assistant Athletics Director for Football Operations (DFO) at the University of Houston for the 2012 and 2013 seasons, working with then-head coach Tony Levine’s staff and helping lead the Cougars to a 2013 BBVA Compass Bowl appearance.

Prior to his time as Houston’s Assistant Athletics Director, Pezman spent 12 years working within the executive management team at Reliant Park, one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment complexes. The complex hosts over 650 events a year and is home to the Houston Texans, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Grand Prix of Houston and countless other events which bring more than 3.5 million guests to the site per year.

Pezman was a three-year football letterman at Houston (1990-92), serving as the team’s captain during the 1992 campaign. He served as a graduate assistant coach (1993-94) and then as an assistant to the Director of Athletics for two years while working on his master’s degree.

Pezman was elevated to Assistant Athletics Director for Operations, where he was involved with facility scheduling, facility oversight and summer camps before taking on his role with NRG Park and SMG Management.

The two-time Southwest Conference Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll member earned his undergraduate degree in economics and completed coursework for his master’s in hotel and restaurant management.

Pezman, a Laguna Beach, Calif., native is married to the former Marisol Guillamondegui and the couple has three children – Seth (25), Sydney (21) and Sarah (19).