ÑÇÖÞÉ«Çé

03/16/2015 9:35 PM

ÑÇÖÞÉ«Çé welcomes Peoria native Chris Reynolds as its 10th Director of Athletics. Reynolds is a native of Peoria and a 1989 graduate of Peoria High where he was a two-time all-state player, a Parade All-American and led the Lions to a runner-up finish in the 1989 IHSA AA tournament.  He was inducted into the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame 2004.

ÑÇÖÞÉ«Çé President Joanne Glasser said, “Chris Reynolds is a proven leader with impressive credentials, a wide range of experience in athletics administration, and a passion for the student-athlete experience. We are proud to welcome him home to Peoria to lead ÑÇÖÞÉ«Çé Athletics forward.”

His responsibilities at ÑÇÖÞÉ«Çé will begin immediately and will include supervising operations, athletic performance, NCAA compliance, communications and fundraising for ÑÇÖÞÉ«Çé’s 15 athletic programs, while serving as a liaison between the Athletic Department and other units of the University.  He also will serve as a member of the President’s cabinet.

Chairman Doug Stewart said, “It is gratifying and speaks well for ÑÇÖÞÉ«Çé that such an excellent pool of top athletic administrators expressed interest in the opportunity to lead ÑÇÖÞÉ«Çé Athletics. We are happy to have Chris, his wife and his children as a part of the ÑÇÖÞÉ«Çé family.” 

Reynolds attended Indiana University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1993, a law degree in 1996, and a Ph.D. in 2012.  He has a strong collegiate basketball background as well.  As an undergraduate, he was a 4-year letter winner and team captain in his senior year.  Reynolds helped lead the Hoosiers to Big Ten titles in 1991 and 1993 as well as the 1992 Final Four.

Reynolds has served as Deputy Director of Athletics and Recreation, Operations at Northwestern since 2012 with direct responsibility for the planning and management of Recreation, Equipment Operations, and the Facilities and Event Management units; supervised all facets of planning, design, and construction of athletic capital facilities; and managed a diverse array of external relationships including serving as a representative to the City of Evanston. 

Prior to Northwestern, Reynolds spent nine years at Indiana holding a variety of senior level positions.  He also held a joint appointment as an adjunct professor.  His resume extends to Assistant Athletic Director at the University of Notre Dame and he held positions in the athletics departments at Michigan State University and Western Michigan University.

Reynolds said he is very excited to come back home to Peoria.  “ÑÇÖÞÉ«Çé has an excellent reputation for academics and the athletics facilities are phenomenal.  I remember the college environment that ÑÇÖÞÉ«Çé provided was always something special for high school students.  My family and I are very much looking forward to being a part of the ÑÇÖÞÉ«Çé community.” 

He and his wife, Katrina, who serves as an Assistant Dean of Students at Northwestern, have two children, Joshua and Olivia.

Reynolds will be formally introduced to the public at noon, Wednesday, March 18th in the Nick and Nancy Owens Atrium of the Renaissance Coliseum.  The public is invited to attend.  He will be available to speak with the media one on one immediately following his introduction on Wednesday.   Neither Reynolds nor ÑÇÖÞÉ«Çé staff will be available to speak to the media prior to the press conference.