Ira Childress is in his third year at UTA and is recognized as one of the nation's top fundraisers. He has helped lead Maverick Athletics to record fundraising totals in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
In 2025-26, the department set a fundraising record with nearly $5 million raised in support of Maverick student-athletes and programs. The historic year featured several fundraising milestones, including the most gifts of $100,000 or more in department history and a record-breaking MavsDay total of $342,429. Since the 2022-23 fiscal year, UTA Athletics has increased its fundraising total by more than 800 percent.
Childress was nominated for NAADD Fundraiser of the Year in 2026. He was also named to the 2026 Silver Waves Media Top 100 Future ADs in America list and was selected to participate in the 2026 National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD) Senior Leadership Seminar.
In 2024-25, he helped lead UTA Athletics to the best fundraising year in school history, including a 40 percent increase in Maverick Club dollars raised, a 78 percent increase in premium seating revenue and a 95 percent increase in total dollars raised. The department also received the largest unrestricted gift in athletics history, recorded the most gifts of $25,000 or more in department history and raised the most money ever in a single year.
Childress, who also serves as the sport administrator for men's and women's basketball, joined UTA in August 2023 from LSU, where he served as the football program's Assistant AD for Player Relations. He brings an extensive background in advancement, alumni relations and leadership, with previous stops at Dartmouth, the NCAA national office, Ferris State and two high school athletic director positions.
Throughout his career, Childress has secured millions of dollars through major gifts and corporate sponsorships while executing numerous community and alumni events to engage supporters and cultivate donor relationships.
Childress joined Brian Kelly's staff at LSU in January 2022 and spent 18 months as the primary liaison between the football program and the campus community. Prior to LSU, he served as Dartmouth's Assistant AD for External Relations, overseeing donor communications and stewardship efforts, as well as alumni and supporter events.
His time in Hanover, New Hampshire, followed successful tenures as Director of Athletics at 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 Prep's head boys basketball coach and spearheaded a $600,000 facility improvement gift at Okemos.
As a result of his innovative leadership and commitment to providing championship experiences for student-athletes, coaches and communities, Childress was a finalist for the Varsity Brands National High School Athletic Director of the Year award in both 2019 at Okemos and 2020 at Gulliver Prep.
As Assistant Director of Leadership Development at the NCAA from 2008-11, Childress created innovative programming that positively impacted hundreds of student-athletes, coaches and administrators. He developed and implemented the first NCAA Sports and Entertainment Summit, which led to career opportunities for numerous student-athlete participants, and coordinated fan engagement events at the Final Four and Women's College World Series.
Childress began his advancement career at his alma mater, Ferris State, serving as Assistant Director of Alumni Relations in 2003 before being promoted to Associate Director. During his tenure from 2003-08, he developed and executed strategic initiatives that resulted in several major gifts and strengthened constituent relationships.
A best-selling author of Beating the Odds: From Poverty to Prominence, Childress is a native of Baldwin, Michigan, and a two-time graduate of Ferris State. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Speech Communication in 2003 and a Master of Science in Education in 2005.
Childress was also a scholarship football player for the Bulldogs and a member of the 1999 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship team, which finished two games ahead of archrival Grand Valley State, then led by Brian Kelly.
