• Greater Austin Sports Foundation Hall of Honor Inductee (2024)
• Honorary Referee 2024 Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays presented by Truist (2024)
• 2023 WBCA Administrator of the Year
• 2023 Naismith Outstanding Contributor to Women’s Basketball
• College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame [Feb. 22, 2021]
• First Tee of Greater Austin Nine Core Values Respect Award [Sept. 2, 2020]
• Women Leaders in Sports Podcast [2018]
• NACDA AD Spotlight: Chris Plonsky [2016]
• Plonsky receives Taylor Award as Kent State journalism alumnus of the year [October 2015]
• NAAC selects Dodds, Plonsky for Organizational Leadership Award [June 21, 2010]
• Plonsky receives Texas Exes Top Hand Award [April 3, 2009]
• Plonsky named NACWAA Division I-A Administrator of the Year [Sept. 8, 2004]
Chris Plonsky has worked in college athletics since 1976. The 2023-24 year is her 36th at The University of Texas. She is executive senior associate athletics director/chief of staff and is UT’s senior woman administrator for Conference and NCAA governance.
She supervises staff leaders in student services: academics/learning, compliance/risk management and sports medicine/health and wellness/strength performance. The latter area also includes nutrition, behavioral health and applied sports science. She assists with 4EVER TEXAS programming that pertains to student-athlete career readiness, leadership development, branding and personal development.
Plonsky is a USA Basketball board member and board member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. She is a former USOPC Collegiate Advisory Council member and an emeritus board member of the National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame. She is a former president of NACDA, NACMA and Women Leaders in Sports (formerly NACWAA) and a former board member of the U.S. Sports Academy.
She is a past member of the NACDA board and executive committee, the LEAD1 board (formerly Division 1AD Association) and has served NCAA committees on Academic Performance, Women’s Basketball Competition and NCAA Commercialization activities. She chaired the NCAA Division I Management Council in 2003.
At Texas, she was women's athletics director from April 2001-December 2017. From 1993-2017, she also supervised revenue areas in multimedia rights, sponsorship, marketing, licensing and television.
Plonsky worked in communications/media relations at Iowa State University (1979-81), Texas (1982-86) and The BIG EAST Conference (1986-90). After three years in administration at The BIG EAST as associate commissioner (1990-93), she returned to Texas in October 1993 as associate AD for external services.
Born in Pittsburgh and raised in Greensburg, Pa., and northeast Ohio, Plonsky earned a B.S. Journalism degree in 1979 at Kent State University, where she was a three-year basketball student-athlete, undergraduate KSU athletics media relations assistant and editor of The Daily Kent Stater.
In Austin, Plonsky is a member of many University campus committees and serves as a volunteer on the University Federal Credit Union supervisory committee.
(October 2023)
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ORGANIZATIONS SERVED BY CHRIS PLONSKY / HONORS
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Big 12 Conference
Senior Woman Administrators (1998-present; Chair, 2001-02)
Administrative Committee (2015-18)
Championships & Awards Committee (2007-12)
Game Management/Officiating Committee (2005-07, 2014-18)
Finance Committee (2005-07)
NACDA (National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics)
Learfield IMG College Directors Cup Committee (2021-present)
President (2016-17)
Executive Committee (2002-04; 2014-20)
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, Inc.
Board of Trustees (chair 2024-present, vice chair 2021-23)
Board of Governors Executive Committee (2020-present)
Marketing/Communications/Visibility Committee (2020-present)
Development Committee (2020-present)
LEAD1 Association (formerly D1A Athletic Directors' Association)
Board of Trustees member (Sept. 2016-17)
Communications and Advocacy Committee (Oct. 2016-17)
NACMA (National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators)
Board of Directors (1993-2000; President, 1999-2000)
Women Leaders in College Sports (formerly National Association of Collegiate Women’s Athletics Administrators)
Member (1998-present; Board member, 2012-15; President, Oct. 2013-Oct. 2014)
National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame
Emeritus Director (2015-present)
Board of Directors (2005-15)
Awards Committee (2005-15)
Digital Media Committee (2010-12)
Partnerships/Sponsors Committee (2010-12)
Play It Smart Board of Directors (2010-12)
Intercollegiate Relations Committee (2010-12)
NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association)
Volleyball Committee (September 2021-February 2024)
Women's College Basketball Officiating Competition Committee (2010-17)
Presidential Task Force on Commercialization (2008-09)
Task Force on Use of Student-Athlete Imagery (Chair, 2006-07)
Academics Incentives/Disincentives Task Force (2005-07)
Committee on Academic Performance (2007-09)
Division I Management Council (2001-06; Chair, 2003-04)
Task Force on Women's Basketball (2005-07)
The University of Texas
Advisory Committee on Ethics (2019-20)
VP Council (2008-16)
Executive Compliance Committee (2009-present)
Internal Audit Committee (2015-present)
UT Libraries Advisory Council (2008-present; Chair, 2010-12)
President's Sustainability Steering Committee (2013-23)
Campus Culture Subcommittee (2015-18)
Texas Exes Board of Directors (2015-16)
Neighborhood Longhorns Program Advisory Board (2010-present)
Distinguished Young Texas Exes Selection Committee (2008-09; 2015-16)
Operational IT Committee (2010-12)
UT Cares Committee (2020-present)
Texas Exes HookedIn Executive Committee (2020-22)
U.S. Olympic Committee
Collegiate Advisory Committee (2017-22)
Collegiate Advisory Committee Legislative Task Force (2019-22)
USA Basketball
Board of Directors (1992-present)
Finance Committee (2013-17)
Women's National Team Steering Committee (2013-16)
Executive Committee and VP for Women's Programs (1996-2008)
Women's Collegiate Committee (Chair, 2000-04)
Women's Basketball Coaches Association
Finance Committee (2015-present)
Community Service
Honda Collegiate Women’s Sports Awards Board of Directors (2008-10)
University Federal Credit Union Supervisory Committee (2007-present)
Capital Area Crimestoppers Board of Directors (2005-14)
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THE PLONSKY CHRONOLOGY
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• Executive Sr. Associate AD/Chief of Staff/Senior Woman Administrator, The University of Texas: September 2018-present
• Women's AD/Executive Sr. Associate AD Men's/Women's Athletics External Services, The University of Texas: September 2010-2017 (Total years: 7)
• Director of Women's Athletics and Men's/Women's External Services, The University of Texas: September 2002-September 2010 (Total years: 8)
• Senior Associate AD for Men's and Women's Athletics, The University of Texas: April 2001-August 2002 (Total years: 1); also served as Texas' interim women's athletics director during this time
• Associate AD for External Services, The University of Texas: October 1993-April 2001 (Total years: 8)
• Associate Commissioner for Administration, The BIG EAST Conference: Summer 1990-October 1993 (Total years: 3)
• Public Relations Director, The BIG EAST Conference: Summer 1986-Summer 1990 (Total years: 4)
• Women's SID, The University of Texas: January 1982-Summer 1986 (Total years: 4.5)
• Women's SID, Iowa State University: Summer 1979-December 1981 (Total years: 2.5)
• Graduated magna cum laude from Kent State in 1979 with a B.S. degree in journalism (news-editorial sequence)
• Women's SID (as undergraduate), Kent State University: Fall 1976-Spring 1979 (Total years: 3)
• Graduated from Tallmadge (Ohio) High School in 1975
• Born January 15, 1958 in Pittsburgh, Pa.; raised in Greensburg, Pa. (1958-66), and northeast Ohio (1966-75)
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