VILLANOVA, Pa.—Villanova University Director of Athletics Mark Jackson today announced the hiring of Ashwin Puri as Senior Associate Director of Athletics and Chief Athletics Operating Officer. Puri most recently served as Vice President of Strategy & Business Operations for the Oakland Athletics, a position he has held since 2017. He brings 20 years of experience in business operations at the collegiate level and in the front offices for Major League Baseball, NBA and NFL teams to his new role at Villanova. Puri will officially start on August 19.
 
"Ash comes to Villanova Athletics with extensive athletic administrative experience in finance, operations, the fan experience and sponsorships—at both the collegiate and professional level," said Director of Athletics Mark Jackson. "His insights, coupled with these experiences, will be incredible assets to our entire department, and I am excited to have him on board as a key member of our leadership team. We look forward to welcoming Ash, his wife Nikole and son Xavier to Nova Nation."
 
At Villanova, Puri will support Villanova Athletics' objectives of graduating complete student-athletes, striving to win championships, being in compliance with the NCAA and campus community, and being fiscally sound while generating revenue. He will have oversight for the Athletics Department's fiscal resources, including the development and monitoring of the department's annual operating and capital budgets. Puri will also manage contract negotiations and assist in developing strategic initiatives to maximize revenue opportunities for Villanova Athletics as a whole. This position serves as a liaison between the Athletics Department, Villanova Sports Properties and Legends, and will assist in the oversight of external operations, ticket operations, travel, equipment and Nike partnership.
 
In this role, Puri will work closely with the men's basketball program and staff on daily administrative functions, including scheduling, ticketing, special events, budgeting and travel. He will also serve as the sport administrator for the men's lacrosse and men's soccer programs, with oversight of scheduling, budgeting and staff. 
 
"I want to thank President Father Peter Donohue, Mark Jackson and the search committee for this exciting opportunity," said Puri. "My family and I are thrilled to return to the Northeast and join such a prestigious academic and athletic community at Villanova University." 
 
During his time with the Oakland Athletics, Puri had oversight for more than $60M in annual revenue generated from ticket sales, premium seating, concessions, merchandise, retail operations and spring training business operations. During his tenure, Puri led several recent innovative initiatives, including the CORE Academy, a program that introduces recent college graduates to various careers in the sports industry. He also managed A's Access, a new membership program which has led to unprecedented membership growth.
 
From 2012 to 2017, Puri served as the Senior Associate Athletic Director and Chief Revenue Officer at the University of California, Berkeley. He was responsible for more than $45M in total annual revenue and led ticket operations, ticket sales and service, premium sales, customer relationship management, marketing, creative, brand, advertising, social media, licensing and merchandise, and special events. He was also the liaison for several external partnerships such as Learfield Sports Marketing, Learfield Licensing and Under Armour. Among his most notable accomplishments at Cal was negotiating a groundbreaking, 10-year, campus-wide marketing and apparel partnership. At the time of completion, it was ranked as the sixth most valuable partnership among Division I public universities. Puri also negotiated a new sponsorship representation agreement worth $100M over 10 years and negotiated a multi-year ticketing, marketing and fundraising technology contract with Paciolan. 
 
Puri was the sport administrator for the Cal men's basketball, men's soccer and women's lacrosse programs, which all achieved academic and athletic success during his tenure. He was also closely involved in the development of several student-athlete focused capital projects, including a student-athlete study lounge and upgraded student-athlete dining facilities.
 
Puri graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 2001 with a degree in Sports Management and was recognized in Sports Business Journal's "Forty under 40" Class of 2017. His previous athletic experience includes positions with the New York Jets, the then-New Jersey Nets and the NBA front office. Puri, his wife Nikole and son Xavier, will reside in Villanova, PA.
 
About Villanova Athletics: Villanova University has a long and storied athletics history defined by excellence both in competition and in the classroom.  The Villanova Athletics Department is a community of student-athletes, coaches and staff whose primary focus is to achieve academic excellence, while striving to produce teams and individuals committed to athletic competition and outstanding performance.  Villanova Athletics sponsors 24 varsity sports, which together include more than 550 student-athletes.  In the classroom, these Villanova student-athletes have registered a grade-point average higher than a 3.0 for 32 consecutive semesters.  Three Villanova student-athletes have been named Rhodes Scholars, with numerous others earning Academic All-America distinction.  Villanova's athletics history includes 21 NCAA team national championships, as well as more than 100 conference championships.  In addition, at least one Villanovan has participated in every Summer Olympics since 1948.  Villanova is a member of the BIG EAST Conference, CAA Football, Colonial Athletic Association (Rowing) and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (Water Polo).
 
About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University's Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others.  There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges – the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University School of Law.  As students grow intellectually, Villanova prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them.  For more, visit www.villanova.edu.