Chris French joined the Charleston Southern athletic staff in March 2025 as the Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Events. Since arriving, he has focused on enhancing the department's facility operations and event management while improving the experiences across Charleston Southern's athletic venues. His efforts have included overseeing facility enhancement projects, streamlining operational processes, and revitalizing the department's facility rental program to create new opportunities for revenue generation and community engagement.
There have been multiple projects that he has worked on including championship signage and benches at the Gary Clark Banks Sr. Tennis Center, new play clocks at Buccaneer Field, protective netting at Nielsen Field at CSU Ballpark, and the installation of new 500-seat bleachers at the CSU Soccer Complex. Additionally, he spearheaded the addition of outfield wall graphics at both the baseball and softball facilities that showcase NCAA Tournament appearances, conference championships, All-Conference honorees, and Hall of Fame inductees throughout each program's history. He has also played a key role in modernizing Charleston Southern's facility rental processes, creating new opportunities for revenue generation and community engagement.
French arrived at Charleston Southern after serving as the Assistant Director of Facilities and Events Operations at Drake from 2024-25. During his tenure, he served as a primary contact for the historic Drake Stadium, home of the renowned Drake Relays, IHSAA State Track Meet, and Drake football. He also served as the primary contact for Ron Buel Softball Field and as the Drake athletics liaison for Mediacom Stadium for Des Moines Public Schools, Drake men's and women's soccer, IHSAA State Soccer Tournament, and USL League Two team the Des Moines Menace.
Prior to Drake, French spent two years as a Graduate Assistant for Facilities Operations at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville from 2022-24. During his time at SIUE, he briefly served as Interim Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Events while continuing his graduate studies. In that role, he oversaw more than six figures in athletic facility rental revenue, assisted with the onboarding of the department's new Athletic Director, and served on the search committee responsible for hiring the next Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Events. The experience provided him with valuable leadership and administrative responsibilities early in his career.
French's first experience in facility and event management came during the summers of 2020 and 2021 with the Macon Bacon of the Coastal Plain League. In 2020, the organization became one of the first in sports to welcome fans back following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with French playing a key role in the planning and execution of operational procedures leading into the season.
French's introduction to college athletics came as a four-year member of the Mercer Bears cross country program. He helped lead the Bears to a third-place finish at the Southern Conference Championships during his senior season. Upon graduation, he ranked third in program history in the 1,500 meters and also held a top-10 mark in the 5,000 meters.
A native of Florida, French earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Economics and Marketing from Mercer University in May 2022. He later earned a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Project Management from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in May 2024.
French currently resides in Summerville, SC. Away from work, he enjoys following Carrick Rangers, a club in Northern Ireland in which he is a part owner, and dreams of one day seeing the club lift the UEFA Champions League trophy. He is also an avid animal lover and proudly claims his parents' two cats, Molly and Misty, as his own.
