Chris Hoppe spent the past six years in athletic administration at Eastern Michigan

STAR JOURNAL REPORT

Chris Hoppe, a 1996 Rhinelander High School graduate, was named Tuesday as the executive associate athletic director for sport administration at the University of Pittsburgh.

Hoppe comes to Pitt from Eastern Michigan University, where he served as senior associate athletic director for administration. In his new capacity at Pitt, Hoppe will have oversight of sport administration, NCAA compliance, financial aid, life skills, equipment services, sports performance, student conduct and Title IX. He additionally will serve as a liaison to Pitt’s Academic Support Services for Student-Athletes.

Chris Hoppe

“We are extremely excited to welcome Chris to our leadership team,” said Pitt director of athletes Heather Lyke. “I’m confident he will bring excellent ideas and a strong work ethic to help us build a culture of comprehensive excellence. His previous professional experiences and focus on the quality of our student-athlete experiences will be great assets for Pitt.”

Hoppe, who also previously was an athletic administrator at Robert Morris University, said he is “incredibly excited to return to Western Pennsylvania” with his family.

“We have witnessed firsthand the passion this region has for the University of Pittsburgh, and couldn’t be more pleased to play a role in the proud tradition of Pitt Athletics,” Hoppe said.

During his six-year tenure at EMU from 2011-17, his responsibilities included oversight of sport administration, sports performance, sports medicine, facility planning, Title IX compliance and equipment operations.

Hoppe served as the sport administrator for men’s basketball, baseball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, women’s rowing, women’s soccer, women’s tennis and wrestling. He additionally was instrumental in the development of Cornerstones, the Eastern Michigan Athletic Department’s strategic planning document.

Hoppe’s appointment with the Panthers marks his return to Pittsburgh. From 2009-11, he served as assistant athletic director for NCAA compliance at Robert Morris University. In addition to his compliance duties, he had sport oversight for seven Colonials programs. Hoppe also was part of an RMU committee that successfully lured the 2013 Frozen Four to Pittsburgh.

From 2006-08, Hoppe worked at San Diego State University as a student-athlete eligibility/student services coordinator. He began his college athletics career in 2005 at the University of Wisconsin as a compliance intern.

Hoppe, the son of David and Lois Hoppe of Rhinelander, graduated with honors from Wisconsin in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in English. He went on to earn his Juris Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin Law School. Hoppe is a member of the Wisconsin Bar, U.S. Federal District Court, and previously served as a court commissioner for the Oneida County Circuit Court.

Hoppe is also completing his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Wisconsin.