Arizona Athletics prides itself in developing Wildcats for Life, and Erika Hanson Barnes is the epitome of that mission. A member of Arizona Softball’s 2001 National Championship team, and current Executive Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Barnes has served the athletics department in numerous key leadership positions since her return to the University of Arizona in 2005.
Barnes is currently the Executive Senior Associate Director of Athletics while also serving as the Senior Woman Administrator. She leads all fundraising operations within the Wildcat Club, the fundraising arm of Athletics, as well as the A-Club Letterwinner’s Association. These operations include principal gifts, major gifts, annual giving, analytics, donor benefits, stewardship, and special events. She also oversees the Sport Administration program, C.A.T.S. Academics and C.A.T.S. Student-Athlete Development. Barnes is also a member of the NCAA Softball Selection Committee. The Southern California native also served Interim Athletics Director in the spring of 2017 during the transition to current AD Dave Heeke.
Barnes is a current member of the Pac-12 Council, which governs and regulates all Pac-12 policies. She also chairs and is a member of several Pac-12 committees. In addition to her administrative duties, Barnes is actively engaged in identifying, screening and securing major and principal gifts, and has played an integral fundraising role in five major capital campaign projects totaling over $175 million.
Previously, Barnes served as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Administration and Major Gifts. In that role, she oversaw all major gift and regional development efforts and specifically handled development efforts in the Phoenix area. Additionally, she was the sports supervisor for the soccer and softball programs as well as the co-chair for the department’s equity committee.
Barnes also served as Associate Athletics Director for Development, Assistant Athletics Director for Development and Assistant Director of Development/Major Gifts. Before entering the development world, she worked in the marketing department as a marketing associate for two years, when she oversaw the marketing efforts for women’s basketball, softball and football’s Fan Fiesta. Prior to returning to Arizona, Barnes worked in marketing and public relations for the New York/New Jersey National Pro Fastpitch Softball team.
A former softball player at Arizona who was part of the 2001 National Championship team, Barnes graduated in 2001 with a B.S. in Communications and a minor in American Sign Language and was a NFCA Scholar-Athlete All-American. In 2010, she received a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) through the UA’s Eller College of Management. Barnes has also served as the color analyst for the IMG radio broadcasts of Arizona Softball games.
Barnes serves on the Board of Directors of the Ben’s Bells Project (non-profit growing kindness education program, “Be Kind”) as well as the Tucson Advisory Business Council for Meridian Wealth Management. Barnes is married to former Wildcat All-American golfer Andy Barnes. The couple has one daughter, Tillie, and one son, Blake.
