COLUMBIA, Mo. — The search for the next athletic director at the University of Missouri ended up not taking long at all.
The University confirmed on Sunday evening it had hired current University of Nevada, Las Vegas athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois to the same position at Missouri.
Reed-Francois will take over at Missouri for Jim Sterk, who the University announced it was "mutually" parting ways with on July 26. Sterk is remaining in the position until a replacement is officially announced.
Yahoo! Sports' Pete Thamel reports Reed-Francois would be the first female AD at a public SEC school. The news of her hiring was first reported by Thamel Sunday afternoon.
Reed-Francois has been at UNLV since 2017 and according to the University was the first Hispanic and woman of color to be named an athletic director at an FBS school.
“This is a transformational day for Mizzou Athletics,” MU President Mun Choi said in a statement. “Desiree Reed-Francois brings an unsurpassed passion for student-athletes and bold, visionary skills that will propel a championship culture at MU. As a proud member of the SEC, we are energized to go into the next era of Mizzou athletics with Desiree Reed-Francois at the helm.”
“It is truly an honor to join Missouri’s flagship institution, and I am extremely grateful to search committee Chair Layman and members of the search advisory committee for this incredible opportunity,” said Reed-Francois in a statement. “The University of Missouri is a world-class academic institution with a strong commitment to athletics, and a resolve to further enhance its athletics programs to achieve elite national status is all of our endeavors. We have a proud and storied tradition; we compete in the premier athletic conference in the country; and, perhaps most importantly, we have a collective desire to be great. My family and I are excited to join the Mizzou Family, and I cannot wait to get started. Go Tigers!”
A former collegiate rower, Reed-Francois earned a bachelor's degree from UCLA and a juris doctorate from the University of Arizona College of Law. Before heading the department at UNLV, Reed-Francois worked as deputy athletics director at Virginia Tech, senior associate athletics director at the University of Cincinnati and oversaw the men's basketball program at the University of Tennessee.