Desiree Reed-Francois era begins for Mizzou Athletics

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Mizzou Athletics welcomed athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois to the department on Wednesday morning. The former UNLV AD is the first woman to ever lead MU Athletics.

You can watch the full conversation with Reed-Francois following her introductory press conference in the video player below.

Her husband and son, Jackson, accompanied her to the introductory press conference. Reed-Francois said family is the motivating factor for everything she does.

Jackson Francois will attend Mizzou in the fall and will also be a walk on for the men's basketball team. The Martin and Francois families have known each other for a while.

"I was on the hiring team that helped bring Coach Martin to Tennessee and we had all these metrics," she said. "But, when my boss, Mike Hamilton, asked me for my opinion, I said, you know, Cuonzo Martin is someone I would want my son to play for."

You can watch the full interview with Cuonzo Martin after the welcoming press conference in the video player below.

Back in June of 2021, Reed-Francois' family came to Columbia for a college visit, which is when she said she knew Mizzou was a special place.

Although former AD Jim Sterk was still at the helm back then, UM System President Mun Choi said evaluations are happening 24/7.

“We’re always evaluating. Every individual that works at the university, we’re evaluating their performance," he said.

Reed-Francois and her family will move to Columbia in two weeks and then, she said, the work will begin.