Syracuse University Director of Athletics Bryan B. Blair today announced the hiring of Chris Presson as deputy athletic director and chief commercial officer. Presson will join the department’s executive leadership team and lead Syracuse Athletics’ commercial enterprise, with oversight of ticketing, premium experience, partnerships, customer relationship management (CRM) and customer strategy.

Presson comes to Syracuse from Rock Entertainment Group, the sports and entertainment enterprise that includes the Cleveland Cavaliers and a portfolio of professional sports and entertainment properties, where he currently serves as senior vice president of Business Operations. Throughout his career, Presson has led teams and venues, built championship organizations, overseen roster construction and generated revenue across virtually every facet of the sports business.

“The landscape of college athletics demands that we think differently about how we operate and generate revenue, and Chris is exactly the kind of experienced builder we need at this moment,” Blair said. “We conducted a broad search because we intend to build something different at Syracuse. Chris has spent nearly 30 years in professional sports building teams, growing businesses and finding creative ways to generate revenue, most recently as part of one of the NBA’s most successful business operations. What sets him apart is that he has spent his career building, not simply inheriting. His experience, entrepreneurial mindset and willingness to challenge conventional thinking make him the right leader to help us build something special at Syracuse.”

In the newly created role, Presson will align revenue generation, brand strategy, marketing, fan engagement, content creation, premium experiences and corporate partnerships into one integrated commercial strategy for Syracuse Athletics. He will oversee sponsorship, ticketing, premium seating, licensing, merchandising and venue commercialization, while leveraging data and technology to drive decision-making, deepen fan relationships and grow revenue. Presson will also build and lead a high-performing commercial team and expand Syracuse Athletics’ presence as New York’s premier collegiate athletics brand, including a deeper footprint in New York City.

“Syracuse has a history and a fan base that most organizations could only dream of,” Presson said. “Bryan’s vision and energy combined with the opportunity to build something new here, to bring a professional sports approach to how we connect with fans and grow revenue, is what drew me to this role. I’m ready to get to work.”

Joining From One of the NBA’s Premier Business Operations

At Rock Entertainment Group, Presson helped guide a portfolio anchored by the Cleveland Cavaliers, named the 2026 NBA Team of the Year following record-breaking success across business operations. The Cavaliers produced a record-breaking 2024-25 season across revenue, partnerships and attendance, including nearly 70 percent year-over-year growth in new season-ticket memberships, the most successful City Edition retail campaign in franchise history and a home sellout streak that reached 170 games.

“Chris is a builder,” said Nic Barlage, CEO of Rock Entertainment Group. “His ability to strategize and relentlessly execute at a high level consistently drives both positive commercial outcomes and community impact. His track record leading several of Rock Entertainment Group’s commercial ventures across the Great Lakes, in Cleveland and Detroit, will position him and Syracuse University well for this new chapter.”

The broader Rock Entertainment Group portfolio also includes the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, the NBA G League’s Cleveland Charge, WNBA expansion franchise Cleveland Sirens and Rocket Arena. The organization also launched HIPP, a members-only luxury club inside Rocket Arena recognized by the NBA as the league’s Premium Experience of the Year, and secured a historic 25-year partnership extension with Cleveland Clinic.

His current work also extends beyond REG’s owned properties into third-party sports business and revenue-generation opportunities. Presson recently helped lead the naming-rights and sponsorship sales process for a planned $80 million professional soccer stadium in downtown Cleveland, one of several projects where Rock Entertainment Group advises other sports organizations on commercial growth and monetization.

Nearly Three Decades Building Sports Businesses

Presson has spent nearly three decades building and leading sports businesses across basketball, football, hockey, baseball and entertainment. His career has been defined by broad operating responsibility, progressing from leading entrepreneurial professional sports organizations—where executives are responsible for virtually every aspect of the business—to serving as president and CEO of a major Canadian Football League franchise and, most recently, helping lead business operations within one of the NBA’s most sophisticated sports and entertainment enterprises.

Presson’s earlier career included leadership roles across professional hockey, basketball, baseball and venue management. He is a two-time Central Hockey League Executive of the Year and was part of four championship organizations across three sports before taking the helm of the CFL’s Edmonton Elks football franchise.

He launched the Northern Arizona Suns, the Phoenix Suns’ NBA G League affiliate, from the ground up in 2016, while simultaneously serving as president of the Arizona Rattlers. Under Presson’s leadership, the Rattlers earned three consecutive Franchise of the Year honors from 2017-19. He was named the 2016 Arena Football League Executive of the Year after the Rattlers led the league in attendance and significantly increased sponsorship partnerships.

From 2019 to 2021, he served as president and CEO of the Elks, overseeing the business operations of one of Canada’s most established professional sports organizations during a period that included the COVID-19 pandemic and the franchise’s rebrand.

Presson earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Oklahoma State University. He and his wife, Tracy, have three daughters.