Chris Pezman, a former student-athlete and 30-year veteran of the sports and entertainment industry, was named Arkansas State’s Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics on June 2, 2025.
Pezman became 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.
Approaching his one-year anniversary leading the Red Wolves, Pezman’s first year at the helm has seen A-State obtain high levels of success that has translated into one of the top years in the athletics department’s history.
The Red Wolves have won a pair of Sun Belt Conference titles, including volleyball and men’s golf, that have helped catapult them to the top of the standings of the league’s all-sports award, the Bubas Cup.
Also making strong contributions to A-State’s Bubas Cup points total, football claimed the Xbox Bowl championship, women’s basketball advanced to the Fab 4 of the WNIT and men’s basketball won 20 games while recording the highest Sun Belt regular-season finish under a first-year head coach in program history.
Making its first-ever postseason appearance, the women’s tennis team accepted a bid to the 2026 UTR Sports Women’s NIT Championship. The women’s bowling program made its 18th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, advancing to the Final Four.
The baseball team has also enjoyed unprecedented success, winning a school-record four games against top-15 ranked opponents, earning a place in the Top-25 for the first time since the 1970s and posting the top-six home attendance marks in school history.
Highlighted by the start of construction on a 40,000 square-foot baseball Player Development Center that will overlook right field at Tomlinson Stadium and Slayton Family Field, Pezman has shown a high commitment to facility construction and upgrades with several more projects in the works.
Pezman has also helped the Red Wolves usher in and efficiently manage areas such as revenue sharing and NIL within the ever-changing intercollegiate landscape while keeping a high focus on areas such as academics and community service.
A-State’s first fall semester operating under Pezman saw its Athletics Director’s Honor Roll feature 254 student-athletes, the second most in school history, who helped the Red Wolves earn an all-department 3.24 GPA that was the highest in school history for a single semester. There were 15 teams that recorded a collective 3.0 GPA, and Arkansas State also recently achieved a school-record 87% Graduation Success Rate (GSR).
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.
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).
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“Chris helped transform all programs at the University of Houston into consistent winners. He’s passionate about his job, and that passion resonates through all athletic programs. He helped upgrade facilities for every sports program on campus. Arkansas State got a good one!”
Andre Ware – ESPN analyst, Houston Texans Radio broadcasts analyst and 1989 Heisman Trophy winner
“Arkansas State is getting a great athletics director in Chris Pezman. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Chris during his time at Houston, and I look forward to him doing great things for the Red Wolves.”
Brett Yormark – Big 12 Commissioner
“I’m so happy for Chris and his family! He’ll do a fantastic job at Arkansas State with all of the experience he brings. He’s an extremely hard worker who’s always there to help. Being a former student-athlete and coach himself only enhances his ability to relate to everyone involved with the Red Wolves.”
Willie Fritz – University of Houston Head Football Coach
“Having had the privilege of working closely with Chris over the past several years, I can confidently say that Dr. Shields and the selection committee made a great choice in naming the next Director of Athletics at Arkansas State University. Chris and his wife, Marisol, will fit into the Jonesboro community. I shared with him that he is going to truly enjoy the incredible people in Jonesboro and the state of Arkansas. This is a good opportunity for Chris and a strong, forward-looking decision for Arkansas State. Based on his track record, there’s no doubt he’ll be able to lead with integrity and vision!”
Terry Mohajir – University of Central Florida Vice President & Director of Athletics
“Chris and Marisol are great people. They will ingratiate themselves into the Jonesboro community and Arkansas State University family. He is going to be awesome for the student-athletes, and he is going to be great for the coaches. I am really happy for Arkansas State and for Chris Pezman and his family.”
Kelvin Sampson – University of Houston Head Men’s Basketball Coach
“Chris Pezman is uniquely equipped to provide Arkansas State with the forward-thinking leadership necessary to navigate the shifting landscape of college athletics. I had the pleasure of working with Chris at Cal, and have seen firsthand his commitment to delivering a quality student-athlete experience and partnering with coaches to build competitive programs. His breadth of experience will allow him to make an immediate impact, and the A-State community will love his collaborative approach. I look forward to watching Chris lead Arkansas State to new heights.”
Teresa Gould – Pac-12 Commissioner
“I’m excited for Chris Pezman and his new venture. I’ve known him for more than 30 years and know he will do an outstanding job. Arkansas State has made a great hire.”
Carl Lewis – University of Houston Head Track & Field Coach and nine-time Olympic Gold Medal winner
“I loved my time at Arkansas State and hold the University and Athletics Department in high regards. I am excited to see Chris Pezman lead the Red Wolves. I believe Pezman is a great leader and will continue the excellence Northeast Arkansas has enjoyed the last several years.”
David Rehr – University of Houston Head Volleyball Coach
