Washington native hired by Mountain West Conference
By John Sacco
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
Go West young lady. Go west.
Chelsey Pryor Burk is doing just that.
The Mountain West Conference announced it has hired Washington native Burk as senior associate commissioner, governance and compliance. She will also serve as the conference’s senior woman administrator.
Burk, 41, comes to the Mountain West after spending the past two years at the University of Delaware, where she served as the deputy director of athletics, chief operating officer and senior woman administrator.
A member of the Athletics Director Executive Leadership Team, Burk developed, monitored and analyzed the Blue Hens’ operating, scholarship and capital/facilities projects budgets. She led department strategy, collaboration, planning, assessment and execution in multiple areas of responsibility during her tenure, including the strategic planning and financial evaluation of Delaware’s transition to the FBS and Conference USA.
“I’m so excited for the opportunity to work with (commissioner) Gloria (Nevarez) and to work with the staff,” Burk said. “They’ve got some fantastic people there in the conference office. This is a chance to be able to work with women’s basketball and that also something that was a huge draw for me.
“I am honored to join the Mountain West Conference.” Burk said. “The opportunity to be a part of a league that prioritized both competitive success and holistic student-athlete development is one I am truly grateful for our member institutions to build on the Mountain West’s momentum and continue to advance the league’s strategic priorities.”
Burk will move to Las Vegas with her husband Jason and their son, Ronan, 4.
Prior to her stint at Delaware, Burk spent a year at the Atlantic 10 Conference as an assistant commissioner and chief financial officer. There, she monitored and analyzed the department’s budget and advised the commissioner and senior members on financial matters.
Burk oversaw all third-party contracts for the league and served as the conference’s information technology administrator.
“I’m certainly excited for her and for those opportunities,” said Dr. Karen Hjerpe, athletic director at PennWest California PA, where Burk was an athletics business manager from 2010-14.
“It’s an opportunity to work in a conference office and be able to, I think, impact at a higher level than just the university setting. I know she has that experience at a conference level before so I’m excited to see what she’s going to do with this new position.
“I think she’s looked at different opportunities that she’s had throughout the past, I would say at least 10 years,” Hjerpe continued. “She was looking to advance herself and continue to learn within her profession. This doesn’t surprise me at all and it’s well-deserved. I know she puts in a lot of hard work and what she does. She’s dedicated in the field as well. I think she’s going to do great things.”
Burk was the deputy director of athletics at William & Mary from 2015-22. That marked her second stint at William & Mary, where she began her career as an athletics business manager from 2008-10.
Burk spent a year at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business as a Department of Accounting program coordinator.
“It was a quick process,” Burk said. “I think that the nice part about the conference offices is they can work at their own timeline. I think something that might be on campus tends to get stretched out a little.
“I’ve said to some people this felt a little bit like a whirlwind. But that’s OK. It was great and my husband always says if things are meant to be they happen quickly and there’s kind of a reason for everything. I’m just excited to be joining the team and to get to be a part of that.”
A former women’s golfer at Kansas, Burk graduated with a degree in communications studies. She earned a master’s degree in sports management from PennWest-California University of Pennsylvania and was the recipient of a Michael Duda Award for Athletic Achievement from California in April. She is a Bishop Canevin High School graduate.
Burk was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Washington-Greene Co. Chapter, in 2022.
She will officially join the Mountain West staff Sept. 29. The conference is currently headquartered in Colorado Springs and will relocate to Las Vegas next year.