As senior vice president of administration and chief financial officer at the NCAA, Mario Morris is responsible for providing strategic leadership and oversight of all financial activity and administrative operations for the Association.
In his role at Notre Dame, Morris was responsible for the athletics department's core business and revenue-generation functions, including strategic financial planning, business operations, multimedia rights, apparel, fan engagement, corporate relations, business innovation, ticketing, marketing, hospitality, contracts, information technology, data analytics, athletics equipment, facilities and events. Morris also has oversight of the men's lacrosse program.
Alongside the athletics director and senior director of athletic advancement, Morris led in developing strategic priorities for fundraising and actively engages in donor engagement activities. Morris also provided strategic guidance for new emerging areas, such as name, image and likeness activities and non-fungible token and blockchain technologies.
Before joining Notre Dame, Morris held a variety of financial management roles at Wisconsin. As CFO, Morris had primary oversight of Wisconsin's $150 million financial and operations budget. He was responsible for guiding the athletics business office, ticket office and data analytics staff in support of revenue generation, purchasing, accounting, finance, and budget.
Before joining Wisconsin, Morris worked for several years in the financial services industry. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy analysis at Wisconsin.
Morris is recognized as an emerging leader in college sports. In 2021, he was selected as the College Athletic Business Management Association's manager of the year. In 2020, Morris was chosen for the NCAA Pathway Program, which is designed to elevate senior-level athletics administrators to the next step in their careers. In 2019, he was selected as member of NEXT UP by CollegeAD.
Morris serves as an adjunct professor at Notre Dame and Wisconsin, where he teaches courses in NCAA governance and compliance, budget and financial management, licensing, marketing and commercial sponsorship, and legal issues in higher education.
Morris received his law degree from Wisconsin in 2006 and his bachelor's degree in finance from Alabama in 1994. He was a starting linebacker on Alabama's football team, playing on the Crimson Tide's national championship team in 1992.