The University of Arizona is hiring Desireé Reed-Francois as its next athletic director, the UA announced on Monday. Reed-Francois has agreed to a five-year contract, pending approval from the Arizona Board of Regents.
Reed-Francois will be the first woman in UA history to serve as full-time athletic director.
Reed-Francois, a former rower at UCLA, graduated from the James E. Rogers College of Law at the UA in 1997. She leaves her athletic director post at Missouri in the SEC after nearly three years in Columbia. She will start at Arizona on March 3.
Reed-Francois will have an annual base salary of $1 million in her first year, elevating to $1.2 million in the fifth year; there’s also an additional $250,000 annual contribution from the University of Arizona Foundation. She earned $1.2 million annually at Missouri.
Missouri athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois stands on the sideline during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game against Central Michigan Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, in Columbia, Missouri.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Desireé to the University of Arizona family, and we could not be more excited about the leadership experience and outstanding credentials she brings,” said UA President Robert C. Robbins in a released statement. “Respected nationally for her commitment to student-athletes, Desireé has a history of success everywhere she’s served and is exactly the right person we need to modernize our athletics operations and usher in an ongoing culture of success in all aspects of athletics. This is a tremendous win for our university and I cannot wait for her to get started.”
Reed-Francois replaces former UA Athletic Director Dave Heeke, who held the job since 2017 and was fired last month amid the university’s financial crisis. The Arizona athletic department has yet to fully repay a $55 million loan from the university during the COVID-19 pandemic, among total unpaid internal loans that amount to $86 million, Robbins said in December.
In an effort to help the financial crisis, Robbins announced earlier this month that Arizona will raise ticket prices across the athletic department. The average price for men’s basketball season tickets will increase by about 20%, with football increasing by 17% and women’s basketball by roughly 7%.
Heeke will be paid through the end of his contract in March 2025. Heeke’s salary totals roughly $1.05 million. Former longtime Arizona softball coach Mike Candrea has been the UA’s interim athletic director since Heeke’s dismissal.
Missouri athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois greets fans before the start of a college football game against Southeast Missouri State on Sept. 18, 2021, in Columbia, Missouri.
“There are very few institutions that would entice me to leave an SEC athletics department with strong momentum,” Reed-Francois said. “The University of Arizona has tremendous potential and is an institution — and an athletics program — on the rise, and I want to be a part of shaping that future. We will provide a world-class student-athlete experience, which includes competing for championships and being among the nation’s elite. I am grateful to President Robbins and the Arizona Board of Regents for this incredible opportunity.”
According to her Missouri bio, Reed-Francois increased football season ticket sales by 200% and premium revenue by 70%. Last year, Reed-Francois led Missouri to its first budget surplus in six years.
She previously spent four years as UNLV’s athletic director. She was the first Hispanic female athletic director in FBS history.
At UNLV, Reed-Francois helped raise $60 million in a development drive, resulting in an $8 million estate gift, the largest estate gift in school history. Reed-Francois helped UNLV rake in more than $70 million for facility upgrades and hired seven head coaches; three Rebel coaches received Mountain West Coach of the Year honors under her direction.
Then-Missouri athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois greets fans before the start of a college football game against Southeast Missouri State on Sept. 18, 2021, in Columbia, Missouri.
Reed-Francois previously held a deputy athletics director role at Virginia Tech, overseeing daily operations for the football program and athletic department. She was also an associate athletic director at Cincinnati and assisted in basketball operations at Tennessee. She has also worked at Fresno State, Santa Clara, San Jose State, Cal and the University of San Francisco.
Reed-Francois was also vice chair of the NCAA Baseball Selection Committee and was a member of the College Football Playoff operations committee.
Arizona football head coach Brent Brennan said on Monday that he’s “very excited to work with Desireé Reed-Francois as we continue to grow our program and compete for championships.”
“She understands what being a Wildcat is all about and the future is bright for Arizona athletics,” Brennan said.
Arizona men’s basketball head coach Tommy Lloyd added, “I know she understands what it means to be a Wildcat and we look forward to getting to work with her during a very exciting time in Arizona athletics.”
University of Missouri athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois speaks at a news conference introducing Dennis Gates as the new head basketball coach at Missouri on March 22, 2022, in Columbia, Missouri.
Reed-Francois will hold an introductory press conference at Arizona Stadium on Tuesday at 9 a.m.
