• Texas Sports Hall of Fame Inductee (2025)
• Plonsky’s Decades of Dedication to Texas Athletics to be Honored in Sports Hall of Fame (2025)
• Waco Tribune (2025)
• 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]
• NACMA Hall of Fame Induction 2003
Chris Plonsky has worked in college athletics since 1976. The 2024-25 year is her 37th at The University of Texas. She is executive senior associate athletics director/chief of staff and UT’s senior woman administrator for conference and NCAA governance.
She supervises athletics 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 sport science. She assists with 4EVER TEXAS programming that pertains to student-athlete career readiness, leadership development, branding and personal development.
Plonsky served 28 years (1997-2024) on the USA Basketball board of directors and is an emeritus board member of the National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame. She currently chairs the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Trustees and is a member of the WBHOF Board of Governors. She is a former USOPC Collegiate Advisory Council member and former president of NACDA, NACMA and Women Leaders in Sports (formerly NACWAA). She is a past member of the NACDA board and executive committee, the LEAD1 board (formerly Division 1AD Association and now FBS ADs 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 supervised revenue areas for Texas men’s and women’s athletics in multimedia rights, sponsorship, marketing, licensing and television. Plonsky also 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.
(February 2025)
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ORGANIZATIONS SERVED
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Southeastern Conference
Senior Woman Administrators (2024-present)
Big 12 Conference
Senior Woman Administrators (1998-2024, Chair, 2001-02)
Administrative Committee (2015-18)
Championships and 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 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)
LEAD1 Association (formerly D1A Athletic Directors' Association and now FBS ADs 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-August 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
Internal Audit Committee (2015-present)
Executive Compliance Committee (2009-present)
UT Libraries Advisory Council (2008-present; Chair, 2010-12)
Advisory Committee on Ethics (2019-20)
VP Council (2008-16)
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 and Paralympic Committee
Collegiate Advisory Committee (2017-22)
Collegiate Advisory Committee Legislative Task Force (2019-22)
USA Basketball
Board of Directors (1997-24)
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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