WSU hires Jon Haarlow as full-time athletic director, elevating him from interim role

PULLMAN – For the first time since November, Washington State has a full-time athletic director.

The Cougars are elevating interim AD Jon Haarlow to the permanent role, according to a Tuesday morning release, giving their program some stability ahead of a new era in the rebuilt Pac-12.

The school’s third athletic director in two years, Haarlow had served as WSU’s interim AD since mid-November when Anne McCoy was fired from her post as AD.

“At Washington State University, we believe in people who step forward, take on challenges, and deliver results that matter,” WSU president Betsy Cantwell said in a news release. “Jon Haarlow has already demonstrated that kind of leadership. This next chapter is about continuing to prove what’s possible to Coug Nation and beyond. We are elevating our athletics program as a point of pride, connection and impact across our entire system.”

The program’s 16th AD, Haarlow is set to be formally introduced in a news conference set for 11 a.m. April 20 at the Alger Family Club Room at Gesa Field.

Alongside Cantwell, Haarlow played a key role in hiring WSU football head coach Kirby Moore and women’s soccer head coach Chris Citowicki. Moore had previously spent three years as Missouri’s offensive coordinator, while Citowicki was Montana’s head coach for the past eight seasons.

Haarlow joined WSU in 2021 as senior associate athletic director and chief financial officer for the athletics program. In spring 2022, he accepted a role on the university’s Pullman campus as assistant vice president for business and financial services, where he provided financial leadership for the university in areas including debt, cash and investments while collaborating with key institutional units, including accounting, reporting, payroll, student accounts and contracting services.

In July 2024, Haarlow moved into a role as WSU’s assistant vice president and senior deputy athletic director/chief operating officer.

“I would like to thank President Cantwell for the opportunity to lead Cougar Athletics,” Haarlow said in the release. “Washington State is a special place, with special people. My family and I could not be more thrilled to remain home here in Pullman and continue to serve the Cougar community. It is truly an honor to lead such an outstanding group of student-athletes, coaches and staff – one I do not take lightly. Under President Cantwell’s leadership, Cougar athletics has made significant progress in a short time, and I’m incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together. Now I’m excited for Coug nation to join us as we move forward.

“There is still work to be done to provide a championship-level experience for our student-athletes,” Haarlow said, also via release. “They are the reason we are here. I’ve experienced firsthand the impact college athletics can have – not only on individuals, but on families and communities. That impact is at the heart of everything we do, and it will continue to guide us moving forward.”

It’s not the first time the Cougars have hired from within for the AD position. In the spring of 2024, when former athletic director Pat Chun left for the same job at rival Washington, McCoy was moved from deputy AD to interim AD. A few months later, former President Kirk Schulz decided to elevate her to the full-time role.

Schulz retired in April 2025, paving the way for the school to hire Cantwell, who was previously the president at Utah State University. Cantwell took over the same month, and about seven months later, she decided to part ways with McCoy, a longtime front office member of the Cougars’ athletic department.

In that way, WSU is making a similar move in hiring Haarlow, who has also launched a $3.4 million renovation of the WSU football locker room, which is set to be completed this summer. Another important role Haarlow has played: helping to secure a media rights package for the rebuilt Pac-12.

Before his tenure at WSU, Haarlow spent three years at Lamar University, where he worked as senior associate athletics director and chief operating officer after initially joining as associate athletic director and chief financial officer. In those roles, he oversaw day-to-day operations, including finance, facilities, ticketing, contracts, licensing, capital projects, branding, procurement and strategic planning, while directing overall financial planning and numerous facility projects.

Earlier in his career, Haarlow worked at Abilene Christian University as assistant athletic director for internal operations, then later as the manager of financial planning and budgeting, where he managed a $130 million operating budget and $100 million worth of capital projects, including a football stadium and science center. He began his athletics administration career at the University of New Mexico, where he spent more than six years as a program specialist and assistant event manager for athletics.

Haarlow holds a master’s degree in sport administration from the University of New Mexico and a bachelor’s degree in sport marketing and management from Indiana University in Bloomington. He and his wife, Jessica, have two children, Gage and Jersey.