UT System approves contract extension for UTSA Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lisa Campos through 2029

JUNE 12, 2024 — University of Texas System on Wednesday approved a contract extension for UTSA Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lisa Campos through November 30, 2029.

Campos, who was named to the position November 17, 2017, has been the architect of the rapid ascent of the UTSA Athletics program, including leading UTSA into the American Athletic Conference on July 1, 2023. Campos’ comprehensive strategic plan, the Roadrunner Game Plan, has created a culture of excellence for student-athletes both in academics and athletics, and has united the San Antonio community in support of the Roadrunners.

“It is a real pleasure for me to extend Lisa’s contract in this fashion,” UTSA President Taylor Eighmy said. “Lisa is held in the highest regard within the NCAA, American Athletic Conference, state of Texas D1, and San Antonio sports communities. She has led our athletics enterprise with vision, boldness, integrity and collaboration. I know I speak for so many of our advocates, partners and philanthropic supporters when I say she is an incredible asset for our university and our community here in San Antonio.”

The contract extension, approved by the Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, marks the second contract extension for Campos during her tenure at UTSA. Campos’ base salary in FY25 will be $550,000, increasing annually by $25,000 throughout the life of the contract and reaching $650,000 by FY29.

“It is an honor to continue to represent our student-athletes, UTSA and the city of San Antonio. This commitment will allow us to continue to pursue excellence in academics, athletics and community engagement.”

“I want to express my gratitude to Dr. Eighmy and the UT System,” Campos said. “It is an honor to continue to represent our student-athletes, UTSA and the city of San Antonio. This commitment will allow us to continue to pursue excellence in academics, athletics and community engagement. I also want to share how appreciative I am for my partnerships with Executive Vice Presidents Heather Shipley and Veronica Salazar, in addition to Roadrunner Foundation President Gene Dawson, and for their collaborations with me.”

Campos, who was one of five finalists for the 2022 Sports Business Journal’s Athletic Director of the Year Award, has made her mark in hiring elite coaches, such as two-time coach of the year Jeff Traylor (football), Pat Hallmark (baseball), Karen Aston (women’s basketball), Carol Price-Torok (volleyball) and Austin Claunch (men’s basketball). 

Campos led the development and construction of the $40.8 million state-of-the-art Roadrunner Athletics Center of Athletics, a 94,700-square-foot facility that opened in 2021 and serves as the central hub for UTSA Athletics and promotes the academic success, health, wellness and performance of the department’s nearly 400 student-athletes. In 2022, TPC San Antonio became the official home of the UTSA men’s and women’s golf teams, housing two championship-level golf courses, study halls and team rooms for both programs as well as The Learning Center, an instructional building equipped with the latest golf technology. In July 2023, UTSA Athletics opened Park West Fieldhouse, an $8 million, 14,325-square-foot facility that serves as the home for UTSA’s soccer and track & field programs.  

This past February, Campos announced a $57 million investment, thanks to strong institutional support, fundraising efforts and newly identified financial opportunities, into facilities and capital projects. In early 2025, UTSA will break ground on a $35 million basketball and volleyball training facility. Over the next five years, UTSA Athletics will also construct player development centers for both baseball and softball, a nutrition performance center for all student-athletes and a covered football pavilion. 

From a competitive standpoint, UTSA has continued to reach new heights on an annual basis. In the last year, the Roadrunners’ football program earned its first-ever bowl victory and the women’s basketball team captured its first-ever postseason win. Over the past three seasons, UTSA won back-to-back Conference USA Championships in football, the soccer team claimed the 2022 Conference USA Championship and the football and baseball programs earned the first top-25 national rankings in school history. UTSA student-athletes have claimed more than three dozen individual conference crowns over the past six years.

UTSA student-athletes have set numerous department records for academic success under Campos’ leadership. For the third time in four years, UTSA has set a departmental record for its NCAA Graduation Success Rate, including a department-record 89% GSR in the 2023 report. The latest report also saw UTSA establish new department standards for four-year class average and single-year graduation rate. UTSA student-athletes currently boast an average team GPA of 3.24 and, on average, 60% of the department’s student-athletes maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better. Over the first five years of Campos’ tenure, UTSA student-athletes collected nearly 300 Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Medals and more than 1,000 C-USA Honor Roll Certificates. 

Campos has made UTSA a leader in the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) space, creating the Runners Go Bold Exchange in a partnership with national-leader Teamworks Influencer, which also helps provide extensive brand-building assets to all student-athletes. Runners Go Bold is a comprehensive program that provides Roadrunner student-athletes with the knowledge and skills to build their personal brands and gain financial acumen. Through a partnership with BrandR and Athletic Solutions, UTSA student-athletes are able to sell their own custom merchandise with the Roadrunners NIL Shop.

Campos has overseen the implementation of the Roadrunner Leadership and Professional Development Academy, which offers personal wellness, freshman transition and career development workshops to UTSA’s student-athletes.

Nationally, Campos recently served on the NCAA Division I Council, a high-level group responsible for the day-to-day decisions that impact NCAA Division I athletics. She also served as chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee and on the board of the LEAD1 Association, a membership organization that represents the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision athletics directors.

Campos recently was selected to serve on the NCAA’s FBS Football Oversight Committee.

Campos has been instrumental in UTSA’s role as host institution for the 2018 NCAA Men’s Final Four and 2021 Women’s Final Four, and in the city landing the 2025 Men’s Final Four and 2029 Women’s Final Four.

— Sean Cartell