Jared Benko was hired in March of 2020 as the leader of the Georgia Southern Athletics Department and began his new role on April 1. Benko, who has more than a decade of progressive leadership experience in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), comes to Statesboro from Mississippi State where he served as Deputy Director of Athletics/Chief Financial Officer for nearly four years (2016-2020). Benko reports directly to the University president, serves as a member of the President's Cabinet and oversees 17 NCAA Division I varsity athletics programs, 15 of which compete in the Sun Belt Conference.Benko, from Watkinsville, Georgia, earned a bachelor of science in sports studies from Georgia in 2005 and then a master of public administration in Athens in 2007. He got his start in the athletic business field as an intern at Georgia from 2007 to 2008. He also spent seven years in sports communications at Georgia, including five years as a student and two years as a graduate assistant, while assisting with the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Braves.