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Chris Grant, a veteran athletics administrator with a successful campus and conference office background, officially moved into the role of Southland Conference Commissioner on April 5, 2022. Grant was named Deputy Commissioner of the Southland Conference in June 2021. Grant had been the Associate Commissioner of Sports Management and Championships at the Pac-12 Conference. At the Pac-12, Grant oversaw eight conference sports and championships, while also serving as the director of the women’s basketball tournament. During his tenure at the Pac-12, Grant took a progressive approach to elevate Olympic sport championships and was instrumental in the relocation and success of the women’s basketball tournament to Las Vegas, establishing a neutral site championship for women’s gymnastics in Salt Lake City, and adding championship tournaments for women’s tennis and beach volleyball. Grant has presided over one of the most successful stretches in Conference history for Olympic sports, with the Pac-12 having won 57 NCAA championships during his time. Grant also was the primary Olympic sport liaison to Pac-12 Networks and ESPN for scheduling and maximizing exposures while managing the execution of Pac-12 television rights and restrictions. Grant also led significant diversity efforts by collaborating with the Pac-12 Women’s Volleyball Coaches to establish the Diversity Mentorship Program which aims to strengthen the pool of minority candidates for collegiate coaching positions, and he initiated and chaired a dual oversight committee with Major League Baseball to address student-athlete and diversity issues in college baseball at the Autonomy Five conference level. Before his six-year stint at the Pac-12, Grant spent three years as the Director of Sports Services at Conference USA. In that role Grant served as the primary sport administrator for six (6) Conference sports: men’s basketball, women's soccer, men's soccer, indoor track & field, women's golf, and outdoor track & field.
