President Ruth J. Simmons announced Fred E. Washington as Prairie View A&M University’s Vice President and Director of Athletics (AD).

As Vice President and Director of Athletics, Fred will serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet. He will be responsible for providing strategic leadership and oversight for an eighteen-sport NCAA Division I FCS intercollegiate athletics program. He will oversee planning, fiscal affairs, staffing, fundraising and promotions, athletics facilities and regulatory compliance with respect to intercollegiate athletics Additionally, he will work closely with multiple internal and external constituencies to advance the University’s objectives and goals. In this position, Fred will supervise a full and part-time staff of approximately 80 people and manage an annual budget of an estimated $12 million.

A proud PVAMU alumnus, Fred received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting in 1992 as well as a Master of Business Administration in Management in 1996 and a Master of Arts in Community Development in 2016.

In his twenty-seventh year of service to the university, he served 23 years in the United States Army Reserve and retired with a rank of Major. After serving in numerous capacities, he became Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration and in 2005, he was appointed Vice President for Auxiliary Services and Administration.

From 2008-2013, Fred served in the dual roles of Vice President for Auxiliary Services and Athletic Director. As AD, he amassed a host of accomplishments including: re-energizing student body engagement at game day events; earning 14 Championships; increasing sponsorship from 60k in 2008 to 445k by 2013; and winning the first Commissioner’s Cup in University history. Throughout his tenure, Fred demonstrated effective and ethical leadership.

“I appointed Fred as the Interim AD because of his previous experience and success as the university’s Athletic Director. Fred, always willing to serve the university in any capacity in which he is needed, graciously accepted the interim appointment and I launched a nationwide search for the permanent Vice President and Director of Athletics,” expressed Simmons.