General | 2/5/2026 2:21:00 PM

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Naval Academy Director of Athletics Michael Kelly announced Thursday that Kris Pierce has joined the Naval Academy Athletic Association in the newly-created position of senior deputy athletic director and chief of staff.
 
"I am thrilled to welcome Kris Pierce to our team," Kelly said. "Leading the largest athletic department in the country during a period of significant change in college athletics requires elite sport administration oversight and adaptive, forward-looking strategic planning. Kris is highly regarded at the national level and is the ideal leader to help modernize our efforts within the NAAA. She brings a thoughtful, steady and collaborative approach that will be a tremendous asset to our department and, most importantly, to the midshipmen we serve."
 
Pierce previously served as deputy athletic director, chief operating officer and senior woman administrator at the University of South Florida.
 
Prior to her time in Tampa, she served in the Atlantic Coast Conference office from 2003 to 2021, beginning in the football department and later becoming senior associate commissioner and senior woman administrator, with oversight of all 24 Olympic sports.
 
Pierce earned her bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communications from the University of North Carolina and her master's degree in sports administration from Ohio University.