Frank Cuervo, a veteran with expertise in all areas of intercollegiate athletics, was named UIC’s Deputy Athletics Director for External Operations and Chief Revenue Officer on August 16, 2021.
Cuervo will lead all UIC Athletics external operations and strategic initiatives, including advancement, partnerships, communications, marketing, ticketing, branding, and creative services, while also overseeing several Flames sport programs from an administrative perspective.
Cuervo comes to Chicago after four years as Vice President of Collegiate Services and National Partnerships for Van Wagner in its Collegiate Division. He was a key member of the company’s executive team, overseeing national sales efforts for 40 properties with over $27 million in annual revenues. While with Van Wagner, he launched C3 | Championship Caliber Consulting, a boutique agency specializing in revenue generation, event development, and branding for properties in the college, youth and professional sports space.
Previously, Cuervo served as the Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Operations at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) during a seminal moment in the program’s history. He oversaw all external units and his team helped generate $45 million in capital and major gift pledges in conjunction with the reinstatement of football at the Conference USA school. Additionally, Cuervo served as the football and baseball sport administrator, overseeing daily operations, budgeting and scheduling for those programs.
Before arriving at UAB, Cuervo spent four years as the Regional General Manager of the Heartland Division for Nelligan Sports Marketing. He also served in senior leadership positions at Indiana University and the University of Missouri.
A native of Gainesville, Fla., Cuervo was a baseball student-athlete at the University of Florida where he graduated with honors, earning a Bachelor of Science in marketing and public relations. He later earned a Master of Arts in sport management from The Ohio State University.
What They’re Saying About Frank Cuervo
“Frank is a dedicated and talented athletics administrator who brings to UIC a proven track record of revenue generation. He shares our vision and passion for advancing Flames Athletics. We’re excited to welcome Frank, his wife Michelle, and their son Nathan to Chicago.”
– Michael Lipitz, Director of Athletics, UIC
“Frank is a true professional who takes his work very seriously. Congratulations to the UIC family.”
– Mark Ingram, Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics, UAB
“Frank is a great person who has a wealth of experience and a relentless work ethic that will pay big dividends for UIC.”
– Mike Hill, Director of Athletics, Charlotte
“Frank Cuervo will do a tremendous job as UIC’s Deputy AD for External Operations. He and I worked together at the University of Missouri for many years and he did outstanding work for our team. Frank has a unique skill set as he has worked inside athletics departments at two Power 5 institutions as well as Group of 5 and FCS. In addition, his work in the multi-media rights sector gives him a unique perspective on many critical aspects of revenue generation including NIL.”
– Mario Moccia, Director of Athletics, New Mexico State University
