Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Northwestern (Exhibition) on October 25, 2026 , Win , 94, to, 59
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Iowa State University Athletics
Jared Benko - Staff Directory
Jared Benko
- Title:
- Vice President and Jamie & Ellen Pollard Endowed Director of Athletics
- Email:
- Phone:
- 515-294-0123
Jared Benko, a former SEC administrator and Georgia Southern athletics director, was named Iowa State’s Vice President and Jamie and Ellen Pollard Endowed Director of Athletics on October 16, 2026.
Benko, the 15th athletics director in ISU history, arrived in Ames after serving two years (2024-26) as executive deputy athletic director at Auburn University.
He brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in athletics, including serving as athletics director at Georgia Southern, deputy director of athletics and chief financial officer at Mississippi State, and leading day-to-day operations of a $228 million department at Auburn.
In his role at Auburn, Benko was responsible for financial strategy, revenue generation, capital projects, name, image and likeness (NIL) and revenue sharing as well as several other areas that touch the daily operation of the athletics department. Benko also chaired the SEC’s Lead Advisors Committee, helping lead the conference on revenue sharing, NIL and governance.
A leader in the NIL space, Benko designed and executed enterprise-wide NIL and revenue-sharing strategy aligned with the post-House Settlement compensation model. He helped generate more than $38 million in third-party funding through collaboration with many different entities.
At Georgia Southern from 2020-24, Benko set four consecutive fundraising records and secured the three largest gifts in athletic foundation history as the athletics director for the Eagles. The university raised more than $40.95 million in donations, including 216 major gifts.
The $12.99 million raised in 2024 alone represented a 185 percent increase over the previous school record prior to his arrival. He also secured the largest gifts in the history of Georgia Southern Athletics on three separate occasions and oversaw more than $100 million in capital projects.
Benko’s impact extended beyond fundraising and facilities. He spearheaded the creation of a five-year strategic plan for Georgia Southern Athletics and the department received its first NCAA Baseball Regional host bid in 2022. He served as chair of the Sun Belt Conference’s Athletic Directors Committee from 2022-24.
The Watkinsville, Georgia, native assisted current Auburn athletics director John Cohen at Mississippi State from 2016-2020, serving as deputy AD. He was involved in strategic planning, personnel decisions, and public relations initiatives while also serving as the CFO and supervising the day-to-day operations of the Bulldog football program.
With the football program, Benko was responsible for scheduling, game day execution, supervision of coaches, strategic planning and social media engagement. Benko served on a three-person search committee for the hiring of Mike Leach and administered day-to-day operations for 16 athletics teams.
A noted fundraiser with a strong background in revenue generation, Benko has proven himself at every stop.
At MSU, Benko secured gifts of $1 million and $500,000 for an indoor tennis facility and finalized a five-year, $28.8 million contract extension with adidas. He also created a financing plan and worked with the school’s development staff to strategize fundraising $20 million for a $68 million baseball stadium project and had oversight of a combined $105 million operating budget for the athletic department and the Bulldog Club.
Prior to his time in Starkville, Benko spent two years (2015-16) at Auburn where he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the business office. While on The Plains for his first stint, he helped secure a $121 million multi-media rights deal with FOX Sports. He was named the 2015 College Athletic Business Management Association’s Rookie of the Year for his efforts.
Benko also spent four years in business operations at Arkansas, including serving as the director from 2012-15.
Before his time at Arkansas, he served as the assistant director of business operations at his alma mater of Georgia from 2008-11.
Benko earned his bachelor’s degree in sports studies from UGA in 2005 and then a master’s degree in public administration in Athens in 2007.
He got his start in the athletics business field as an intern at Georgia in 2007. Benko also spent seven years in sports communications at Georgia, including five years as a student and two years as a graduate assistant, while assisting with the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Braves.
Benko and his wife, Sarah, have two sons, Hudson and Cooper.
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