Kris Pierce was named to the newly created role of Deputy AD for Administration/Chief of Staff at the University of South Florida in July 2021. She was elevated to Chief Operating Officer/Senior Woman Administrator in August 2022.
Pierce’s primary responsibilities include oversight of the day-to-day operations of the athletic department and providing leadership to sport administrators. She oversees the internal departments of Human Resources, Administration and Special Projects. She is also responsible for strategic planning for the department.
As the oversight for the sport administrators, she is responsible for the management of all sport operations. She directly oversees the sports of football, softball and the newly created sport of women’s lacrosse which will begin competition in spring 2025.
Serving as the Senior Woman Administrator, Kris represents South Florida in the American Athletic Conference during conference meetings and serves on the AAC Football and Governance and Strategic Planning Committees. She was named Chair of the SWAs for the conference in August 2024.
In the community, Kris is active with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, serving as the Host Institution Representative for the upcoming 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four in Tampa. She also serves on the Women’s Final Four Advisory Committee. Kris was recently named to the Women in Sports and Entertainment (WISE) Tampa Bay Advisory Board.
Nationally, Kris was named to the NCAA Women’s Soccer Committee in August 2023. She was also a member of the NCAA Division I Competition Oversight Committee from 2018-2021 and was honored in 2017 as the “Administrator of the Year” by Women Leaders in College Sports.
Prior to her time at South Florida, Pierce spent 18 years with the Atlantic Coast Conference starting as an assistant in the football department and finishing as the Senior Associate Commissioner/Senior Woman Administrator. In her role at the ACC, she served as a member of the commissioner’s senior staff with oversight of all 24 Olympic sports and championships. She was the staff liaison to the conference’s SWAs, Olympic sports committees, Medical Advisory Group, Sportsmanship and Infractions Committee, Head Athletic Trainers and Game Operations Directors.
Pierce received her bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications from the University of North Carolina and her Master’s degree in sports administration from Ohio University. She is also a graduate of the Sports Management Institute and holds memberships with NACDA, Women Leaders in College Sports and Women in Sports and Events (WISE).
