Julio Freire will be introduced as the 12th athletics director in UTM history at a press conference on Monday, Jan. 13 at 3 p.m. in the north end zone of the floor level at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. The event will be streamed live online through the Ohio Valley Conference Digital Network at http://www.ovcdigitalnetwork.com/showcase/?Live=1252.
The general public is invited to attend the press conference, which will precede an Ohio Valley Conference basketball doubleheader. The Skyhawk women’s basketball team will host Southeast Missouri at 5:30 p.m., followed by a matchup between the UTM men’s team and Tennessee State at 7:30 p.m.
Freire is taking over for Phil Dane, who served 14 years as the athletics director before retiring on Dec. 31, 2013.
Freire brings 22 years of experience within intercollegiate athletics and educational settings to UTM. He most recently worked at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as senior associate athletics director from 2010-13. He worked closely with university relations, department leadership, athletics development, external operations, athletic program administration and compliance while at the Mountain West Conference affiliate.
Before his time at UNLV, Freire spent time at the University of Arizona from 2007-10 as the assistant/associate athletics director for development. Among his accomplishments at the Pac-12 school were the increase of planned gifts by $4.5 million and serving as the athletic program liaison for the highly successful football and men’s basketball programs.
Freire also served at fellow OVC institution Tennessee Tech from 2005-07 as the associate athletics director for development. While in Cookeville, he was responsible for the cultivation and stewardship of major gift prospects and donors. He increased annual donations by 300 percent and secured seven of the 10 largest gifts in department history.
Freire began his collegiate athletic administration career at Ohio University, where he served as an assistant/associate athletics director for development from 2000-04. During his time at the Mid-American Conference member, he managed all facets of facilities and game operations units, concession and merchandise contracts and also supervised the renovation and construction of numerous facilities.
A former student-athlete himself, Freire ran cross country and track and field at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education in 1990 and earned his Master’s Degree in Counseling from the University of Phoenix in 1997.
Freire, 46, is married to the former Cherie Taylor and has two children, Christopher, 11, and Gabriella, 9.
