STATESBORO — Georgia Southern University announced Thursday that Jared Benko, former chief financial officer and deputy director of athletics at Mississippi State University, will serve as the new GS director of athletics.

Benko will start on April 1, and he will serve as a member of the president’s cabinet. A 22-person search committee selected him from a pool of about 100 candidates, which included 39 women and 67 minority candidates, according to a GS press release.

“After all of our interviews and conversations, we felt Jared Benko was the best candidate that allowed us to continue our upward trajectory in the Sun Belt Conference and nationally,” Anthony Tippins, co-chair of the Athletic Foundation Board, said in the press release.

Before working at Mississippi State, Benko held positions at Auburn University, Arkansas State University and the University of Georgia. He earned a Master of Public Administration at the University of Georgia, as well as a bachelor’s degree in sports studies, according to his Linkedin page.

There will be a public reception with Benko from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday at the Bishop Alumni Center.

Blakeley Bartee, The George-Anne Editor-in-Chief, gaeditor@georgiasouthern.edu