This year our keynote speaker for the 2023 Shining Stars Luncheon will be Chris Del Conte!
University of Texas Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte is a proven, well-regarded and nationally recognized athletics administrator who has a long history of leading highly-successful athletic departments. In his fifth year at UT and 17th year as an athletics director overall, Del Conte has strong ties to the Lone Star State, having spent a dozen years at TCU and Rice before taking over leadership of Texas Athletics on December 9, 2017. His 30 years of experience as a collegiate administrator are wide-ranging and far-reaching with previous stops at Arizona, Washington State and Cal Poly.
During his time at UT, Del Conte has spearheaded a number of projects designed to keep Texas at the forefront of college athletics, including the recently completed major renovation project to the South End Zone of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and the brand-new home for Texas Men’s and Women’s Basketball, the $338 million Moody Center. Improving the gameday experience of Texas Athletics has been another key initiative of Del Conte’s since his arrival in Austin and the ever-growing Bevo Blvd., Smokey’s Midway and Longhorn City Limits initiatives that were implemented under his watch have been highly successful features around football games.
Del Conte’s vision has helped keep Texas on the cutting edge of modern trends in terms of facility upgrades and unique gameday experiences, but he has also sought to showcase the rich tradition the University’s athletics programs boast. To do so, Del Conte helped UT complete plans for its first-ever Hall of Fame, which was designed to tell the story of Texas Athletics from the vintage days of its first football team in 1893 to what is now one of the nation’s premier athletics programs.
In July, 2021, Del Conte worked closely with campus and UT System leadership while playing a critical role in Texas requesting and then accepting future membership in the Southeastern Conference. One of the most monumental moves in UT history, the Longhorns will be joining the SEC in 2024.
Del Conte grew up in New Mexico where his parents operated a group home for abused and neglected children which has shaped his personal and professional commitments to his family, college athletics, and charitable organizations.
Del Conte is married to Dr. Robin Ward and has two daughters, Sienna and Sophia.
Join us for the Shining Stars Luncheon on September 27 at the JW Marriott – get information about tables and tickets here.
