3/9/2024 9:45:00 AM | General, Maverick Club
ARLINGTON – Ira Childress has been promoted to Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development, UT Arlington Athletic Director Jon Fagg announced.
Since arriving on campus in August, Childress has made a major impact on UTA Athletics, including spearheading several key initiatives. He helped create the first ever Maverick Athletics DFW Tour, which engaged alumni and donors throughout the metroplex, while generating awareness, branding, and fundraising opportunities. Childress also initiated the inaugural NIL Symposium, which successfully gave 80 student-athletes an opportunity to network and build relationships with businesses throughout the area.Â
Additionally, Childress created the largest football alumni reunion in school history, with over 100 players returning to campus and nearly 200 people attending overall. Under his leadership of the Maverick Club, UTA has experienced a nearly 80 percent increase in premium seating attendance.
"Ira has led a resurgence in the interest in our Maverick Club engagement and donor support to benefit our student-athletes," Fagg said. "His vision of creating the DFW Tour has led to significant increases in our friend raising and fundraising efforts, and I am excited about his continued impact on UTA Athletics and UTA as a whole."
Childress joined UTA from LSU, where he served as the football program's Assistant AD for Player Relations, spending 18 months as the primary liaison between the football program and campus community. Prior to that he served as the Assistant AD for External Relations at Dartmouth, managing donor communications and stewardship, and alumni and supporter events.
His time in Hanover, N.H., came after stints as the Director of Athletics at both prestigious Gulliver Prep in Miami (2019-21) and Okemos High School in Michigan (2013-19). While leading all aspects of both athletic departments, Childress hired Hall-of-Famer Ray Allen as Gulliver's head boys' varsity basketball coach, and at Okemos he spearheaded a $600,000 donation for facility improvements.
As a result of his creativity and vision to provide forward-thinking solutions and championship experiences for student-athletes, coaches and the community, Childress was a finalist for the Varsity Brands National High School Athletic Director of the Year in both 2019 at Okemos and 2020 at Gulliver Prep.
As an Assistant Director of Leadership Development at the NCAA from 2008-11, Childress provided innovative programming that helped positively impact hundreds of student-athletes, coaches and administrators. He created and implemented the first-ever NCAA Sports and Entertainment Summit – resulting in career opportunities for numerous student-athlete participants – and coordinated fan-engagement events at the Final Four and Women's College World Series.
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Childress got his start in advancement at his alma mater, Ferris State, beginning as the university's Assistant Director of Alumni Relations in 2003 and leaving as its Associate Director in 2008.
Childress is a native of Baldwin, Mich., and a two-time graduate of Ferris State. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Applied Speech Communication in 2003 and his Master of Science in Education in 2005.
Childress was also a scholarship football player with the Bulldogs, and member of the 1999 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship team which finished two games ahead of archrival and then Brian Kelly-led Grand Valley State.Â
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For up-to-date news, photos and videos, follow UTA Athletics online at UTAMavs.com or via several social media accounts on X @UTAMavs, Instagram @UTAMavs and Facebook /UTAMavs.
Since arriving on campus in August, Childress has made a major impact on UTA Athletics, including spearheading several key initiatives. He helped create the first ever Maverick Athletics DFW Tour, which engaged alumni and donors throughout the metroplex, while generating awareness, branding, and fundraising opportunities. Childress also initiated the inaugural NIL Symposium, which successfully gave 80 student-athletes an opportunity to network and build relationships with businesses throughout the area.Â
Additionally, Childress created the largest football alumni reunion in school history, with over 100 players returning to campus and nearly 200 people attending overall. Under his leadership of the Maverick Club, UTA has experienced a nearly 80 percent increase in premium seating attendance.
"Ira has led a resurgence in the interest in our Maverick Club engagement and donor support to benefit our student-athletes," Fagg said. "His vision of creating the DFW Tour has led to significant increases in our friend raising and fundraising efforts, and I am excited about his continued impact on UTA Athletics and UTA as a whole."
Childress joined UTA from LSU, where he served as the football program's Assistant AD for Player Relations, spending 18 months as the primary liaison between the football program and campus community. Prior to that he served as the Assistant AD for External Relations at Dartmouth, managing donor communications and stewardship, and alumni and supporter events.
His time in Hanover, N.H., came after stints as the Director of Athletics at both prestigious Gulliver Prep in Miami (2019-21) and Okemos High School in Michigan (2013-19). While leading all aspects of both athletic departments, Childress hired Hall-of-Famer Ray Allen as Gulliver's head boys' varsity basketball coach, and at Okemos he spearheaded a $600,000 donation for facility improvements.
As a result of his creativity and vision to provide forward-thinking solutions and championship experiences for student-athletes, coaches and the community, Childress was a finalist for the Varsity Brands National High School Athletic Director of the Year in both 2019 at Okemos and 2020 at Gulliver Prep.
As an Assistant Director of Leadership Development at the NCAA from 2008-11, Childress provided innovative programming that helped positively impact hundreds of student-athletes, coaches and administrators. He created and implemented the first-ever NCAA Sports and Entertainment Summit – resulting in career opportunities for numerous student-athlete participants – and coordinated fan-engagement events at the Final Four and Women's College World Series.
Â
Childress got his start in advancement at his alma mater, Ferris State, beginning as the university's Assistant Director of Alumni Relations in 2003 and leaving as its Associate Director in 2008.
Childress is a native of Baldwin, Mich., and a two-time graduate of Ferris State. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Applied Speech Communication in 2003 and his Master of Science in Education in 2005.
Childress was also a scholarship football player with the Bulldogs, and member of the 1999 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship team which finished two games ahead of archrival and then Brian Kelly-led Grand Valley State.Â
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-- #BuckEm --
 FOLLOW THE MAVS SOCIALLY
For up-to-date news, photos and videos, follow UTA Athletics online at UTAMavs.com or via several social media accounts on X @UTAMavs, Instagram @UTAMavs and Facebook /UTAMavs.
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