New Mexico State University has named Joe Fields as its 24th Director of Athletics, concluding a national search for the position. Fields will assume his new responsibilities on October 8.
Fields comes to NMSU from the University of Tulsa, where he served as Deputy Athletics Director and Chief Operating Officer since August 2024. He brings two decades of experience in college athletics as both an administrator and former athlete. As a student-athlete, Fields played football at Syracuse University from 2004 to 2007, earning All-Big East Conference honors before spending a season with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.
Justin Bannister, chair of the search committee and NMSU's chief of staff, said, "Aggie fans are going to love what Joe brings to the table. He's been a student-athlete and an administrator, so he has unique insight into the full experience of college athletics."
NMSU President Valerio Ferme highlighted Fields' commitment to supporting student-athletes in all aspects. "Joe Fields is first and foremost devoted to the overall excellence of our student-athletes. He brings integrity and humility to the role, and his qualifications as a former athlete, leader of athletes and competitor will help shape and lead our Athletics programs into their next chapter," Ferme said Monday. "In my conversations with him, he has stressed the need to support our athletes holistically. I know that his focus will be the overall success of our student-athletes, so they are achieving in the classroom as much if not more than they are in the athletics arena."
Fields expressed enthusiasm about joining New Mexico State University: "I'm honored that President Ferme has selected me to serve as the next Director of Athletics at New Mexico State University," Fields said. "The future is bright for NMSU, and my family and I are thrilled to become part of the Aggie community. We're ready to get to work and build on the proud tradition of Aggie Athletics."
Bannister added that committee members believe Fields’ drive makes him well-suited for NMSU: "He's competitive and knows what it takes to win," Bannister said. "I know he is going to work every single day to take New Mexico State Athletics to the next level."
At Tulsa, Fields was responsible for overseeing daily operations within athletics during a period marked by major changes across collegiate sports. He also managed football program administration there.
Previously at Texas A&M University, Fields held several roles including Executive Associate Athletics Director for Internal Operations—where he oversaw internal functions—and sport administrator duties for football and basketball programs. His earlier tenure at Texas A&M began with academic services leadership roles focused on supporting student-athlete development.
While at Texas A&M’s Center for Student-Athlete Services, Fields led restructuring efforts that improved academic performance metrics such as grade-point averages and graduation rates among athletes.
Fields started his administrative career at Syracuse University after graduating from there; rising from graduate assistant up through director-level positions in academic services while contributing toward increased academic achievement among key athletic teams.
He holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Syracuse University in physical education as well as instructional design respectively.
NMSU plans further announcements regarding press conference details where community members can meet Joe Fields soon; additional information will be available on nmstatesports.com.
