James Francis has been a Senior Associate Athletics Director with Arizona Athletics since 2010. He currently holds the position of Senior Associate A.D. for Development where he is actively engaged in identifying, screening, and securing major gifts for the Wildcat Club.
Prior to his move to development in 2022, Francis has held a variety of positions in compliance, public relations, corporate sales, marketing, licensing and ticketing from 1997 through 2010. From July 2010 through April 2022 he was the unit director for external operations overseeing marketing, ticket sales, communications, creative services and community relations, while also working closely with sports marketing rights holder Learfield.
In addition to his roles with Arizona Athletics, James has been involved in the community volunteering with organizations including the DM50, First Tee of Tucson, the Tucson Conquistadores, and the Southern Arizona Chapter of the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame.
James came to Tucson from La Cañada, Calif. and earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Arizona, where he was a football letter winner from 1991-93. He and his wife, Tammi, are proud parents of daughters Emery and Avery.
