Mark Wright

Mark Wright joined the UCF Athletics staff in May 2013 and currently serves as deputy athletics director for the ChargeOn Fund, the Knights' primary fundraising entity. Wright brings more than two decades of development and athletic experience to his position with the Knights.

During his tenure at UCF, Wright has overseen a development department that has consistently set new records for giving. He led the UCF Athletics fund-raising team to all-time highs in cash gift revenues ($10.7M) and gift commitments ($17.3M) during fiscal year 2017.

Wright has a strong background in athletic and academic development, external relations, strategic planning, campaign leadership, facilities planning and construction, sports marketing, ticket sales and alumni engagement. He brings more than 20 years of progressive experience in the SEC, Big Ten, Big East, Atlantic 10 and Atlantic Sun to UCF.

Wright oversees the development and fundraising department for UCF Athletics, while developing and maintaining strategic solicitation plans to enhance donations and expand the donor base. Wright is responsible for a stewardship program for all athletics donors. He also works closely with the athletics ticket sales and service department, providing leadership and direction toward the achievement of revenue and service goals in the premium seating area. Wright also has oversight for the Varsity Knights, the organization of former UCF student-athletes.

Prior to UCF, Wright served as the managing director of development for athletics at Marquette University. There, he was responsible for directing the fundraising strategies and development activities for the department's annual, discretionary, endowed and capital development initiatives. During his four years at Marquette, his team has booked more than $21 million in annual, endowed and major giving. The athletic endowment has almost tripled while annual giving has grown by 56 percent.

Wright also spent four years (2005-09) at Saint Louis University as the associate athletic director for development. He spearheaded the development process of the Chaifetz Arena fund-raising campaign at Saint Louis. That campaign culminated in the opening of a new $81 million, on-campus, multi-purpose arena complex as the development team surpassed its goal of raising $50 million. Wright was also responsible for the athletic annual fund, which increased by 295% during his tenure. He also served as the sport administrator for baseball and softball.

From 2002-05, Wright was the director of development for Ohio State University Athletics. He worked as associate director of the National Commodore Club at Vanderbilt University from 1999-2002. Wright began his fundraising career by serving as the director of development for Mercer University from 1996-99.

Wright gained experience as an admissions counselor/athletics eligibility coordinator (1995-96) and an assistant baseball coach (1992-94) at Mercer. He has also worked as a financial analyst for SunTrust Banks.

Wright holds bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration/finance from Mercer, where he was a pitcher for the Bears' baseball program.