Hamilton, Razorbacks’ longtime CFO, will shift from athletics to campus services job this summer

Clayton Hamilton, the University of Arkansas athletic department’s chief financial officer since 2010, will leave for a new position on the Fayetteville campus this summer.

Beginning July 1, Hamilton will become senior associate vice chancellor for campus services. His office will lead a realigned campus community infrastructure team and oversee strategic campus partnerships, real estate, facilities management, parking and transit and university police.

Hamilton said he is excited about serving his alma mater in a broader way.

“One of the things I shared with [executive vice chancellor for finance and administration] Ann Bordelon a couple of months ago as I was weighing this opportunity is the shift from focusing on [approximately] 500 student-athletes to more than 30,000 students on campus,” Hamilton told the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal. “That’s the exciting part. I have seen college campuses through the lens of athletics for over two decades. To flip that and be on campus and serve the faculty, staff and students is a neat opportunity at this point in my career.”

Hamilton’s new job is part of a larger restructuring within the UA’s campus division of finance and administration. Click here for those details.

Hamilton is a Little Rock native and graduated from the UA in 1994. Though his professional career took him away from Arkansas, he’s been the athletic department’s CFO since returning to campus in January 2010.

The department has grown considerably and set a record in operating revenue in the 2023 fiscal year by generating $167.3 million. Arkansas’ athletics department funds 470 athletes competing on 19 teams — eight for men and 11 for women. It takes no student fees or taxpayer support.

Hamilton earned an accounting degree from the UA in 1994, then pursued a master’s degree in an area of interest — sports. He earned a master’s degree in sports management in 1997 from the U.S. Sports Academy. His resume includes finance-related jobs with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Cowboys, and in the athletic departments at Florida State University and the University of Colorado.

Hamilton acknowledged much has changed in the college athletics landscape during his tenure, but that did not influence his decision to leave the athletics department. He said his focus has consistently centered on fostering a positive student-athlete experience, practicing responsible and forward-thinking financial management, cultivating professional working relationships and nurturing teams and future financial leaders.

“It is different, and certainly at this level, you are losing a little bit of focus of why you got into this business 30 years ago; even 10 years ago,” Hamilton said. “But that has nothing to do with this. I am supportive of where we are in college athletics and providing funding to student-athletes. It’s well-deserved for student-athletes. There needs to be some guardrails, obviously, with what’s going on across different states. But that didn’t push me out, per se. The [job] opportunity presented itself. And when you look ahead and you’ve got 10 to 15 years left in your career, this is a good opportunity to do something different. It’s a cool opportunity to be here and be on campus every day.”

As a native Arkansan and UA alum, Hamilton said he has tremendous pride in being on campus each day and serving students.

“I presented to a class [recently] in our business school, walking the same halls I did 30 years ago,” he said. “It reinforced for me that the timing was right. I have accomplished some goals and impacted some lives; now it’s time to do more. To serve in a new way.”

Hamilton will report to Bordelon, executive vice chancellor for finance and administration.

“I’m excited to have Clayton join my team,” Bordelon said in a statement. “He brings tremendous experience and leadership capability to my organization. As deputy athletic director–internal engagement/CFO, Clayton has been a visionary partner and a high-demand customer who has expertly managed many functions within athletics in collaboration with our team.”

Hamilton will be responsible for a team of nine. His direct reports will include:

• Scott Turley, associate vice chancellor for facilities
• Lynne Bell, assistant vice chancellor for business services
• Stephen Gahagans, chief of university police
• Gary Smith, director of transit & parking
• A new position focused on real estate and campus space planning

Auxiliary finance leaders in the athletics department and student affairs will indirectly report to Hamilton.

“For the past 14 years, Clayton has served in a senior leadership role with Razorback Athletics, helping us remain one of only a handful of financially self-sustaining athletics programs in the country,” said Hunter Yurachek, UA athletics director since December 2017. “As a native of our state and a University of Arkansas graduate, he has worked with our team to help position our athletics program, coaches and student-athletes for success. We are appreciative of Clayton’s efforts and look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role on campus.”