Staff Directory
- Title:
- Senior Associate Athletic Director, CFO
- Email:
William Wheeler is an athletics finance leader with more than 13 years of experience in college athletics. He has guided Power Four and Group of Six programs through financial transformation, conference realignment, and the new revenue-sharing era.
Since August 2024, Wheeler has served as Chief Financial Officer for the University of Arizona Athletics Department, where he is a member of the Executive Team and oversees budgeting, forecasting, analytics, capital project funding, and audit processes for a $140 million operation. At Arizona, he balanced the athletics budget in FY 2026, eliminating a $39 million deficit from FY 2024. He also led a budget restructuring that reduced department expenses by $5 million, partnered with campus leaders to restructure athletics debt service, and built the department's revenue-share model for its first year under the House settlement.
Wheeler also serves as sport administrator for men's and women's track & field and cross country. In 2025, he led the national search for the head coach of the men's and women's track & field programs, and he assists the Director of Athletics with contract negotiations for all head coaches.
Before Arizona, Wheeler was Senior Associate Athletics Director for Finance & Analytics at the University of Missouri, where he managed a $164 million budget and built a new analytics team focused on growing ticket sales and fundraising revenue. He also served as primary sport administrator for softball, women's soccer, and men's and women's track & field, and as secondary sport administrator for men's basketball. Previously, as Senior Associate Athletics Director, CFO at UNLV, he oversaw a $75 million budget, business and equipment services, and capital project funding. He began his career in business operations at Florida State and Montclair State.
Wheeler is committed to developing the next generation of collegiate athletics leaders. Five members of his staff have advanced to senior roles, including four who now lead business offices at other institutions. A native of New Jersey, he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from the College of Saint Elizabeth, graduating with highest honors. He is an active member of the College Athletic Business Management Association (CABMA), College Athletics Analytics Professionals, and several national business honor societies.
