SPEAKERS

August 17, 2026

Rob Higgins was announced as the University of South Florida's first-ever CEO of Athletics on September 9, 2025, capping a comprehensive national search for the university's next athletics leader. The newly created title reflects a shift in how USF views the position — not simply an athletic director role, but one requiring a business-minded approach to building a competitive athletics enterprise, growing revenue, and positioning both the university and the greater Tampa Bay region on a national stage.

Before joining USF, Higgins spent more than 20 years with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, serving as executive director since 2004. During his tenure, he helped transform the region into one of the country's leading destinations for sports and entertainment, overseeing the successful hosting of two Super Bowls, a College Football Playoff National Championship, multiple NCAA Final Four and tournament events across basketball, hockey, and volleyball, an NHL All-Star Weekend, and WrestleMania 37. He also led the Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee as president and CEO in 2021 and contributed to the bid and operations team for Super Bowl XLIII in 2009.

Higgins' relationship with USF dates back to childhood. After attending his first USF men's basketball game at age eight, he became a ball kid for the team — a connection that eventually led him back to the university as a staff member in athletics facilities and event management following his graduation. He is a member of USF's Zimmerman School of Advertising Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2015, and in May 2025 he received the Distinguished Citizen Award at USF's commencement ceremony.

Throughout his career, Higgins has earned significant recognition in the sports and business communities. He was named to the Tampa Bay Business Journal's Power 100 list in each of the last five years, was selected for Sports Business Journal's "Forty Under 40," and appeared on the Tampa Bay Business Journal's "30 Under 30" list. The Tampa Bay Times also named him one of the region's top 10 difference makers, and the Huffington Post included him among the top 30 sports marketers in the world.

Higgins takes on his new role at a pivotal moment for USF Athletics, as the university prepares to open a new on-campus stadium in the coming years. University leaders have pointed to his two decades of experience building major events and his deep personal ties to USF as key reasons he was chosen to lead the department into its next chapter. Higgins and his wife, Casey, have two children, Laney and Landon.