In his first two years as West Virginia’s vice president and director of athletics, Wren Baker has faced every challenge head on and has never looked back. His energy has ignited a department, which turned in unprecedented success in 2023-24.

A bowl victory, a men’s soccer College Cup appearance and a first-ever baseball Super Regional were just some of the big moments in year two under Baker, and his high-energy and success have been contagious for Mountaineer Athletics in competition and in the classroom.

Athletic success and best-ever academic achievement by Mountaineer student-athletes have highlighted Baker’s tenure, while the department also turned in its second-best fundraising numbers ever during the 2024 athletic year. 

Baker’s success at WVU did not come overnight. He first traveled the state to learn its culture, met Mountaineer fans from all over the world and immersed himself on what it meant to be a proud West Virginian. The results of Baker’s approach and work ethic speak volumes and have re-energized West Virginia Athletics.

Despite already hiring five new head coaches, creating a 20-year facility master plan and developing the department’s strategic vision for the coming years, Baker’s plate continues to be full. Budget concerns, a competitive NIL structure, lack of premium seating options in his two major sports venues and new revenue generation are being addressed by his administration to solidify the future of West Virginia Athletics.

WVU President E. Gordon Gee named Baker as WVU’s vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics on Nov. 30, 2022. He has oversight of 18 varsity sports, a department budget of more than $90 million, approximately 250 employees and nearly 500 student-athletes.

Baker is WVU’s 13^th director of athletics and came to Morgantown from the University of North Texas, where he had been the associate vice president and athletics director since 2016. With previous stops at Missouri, Memphis, Northwest Missouri and Rogers State, he brought more than 20 years of experience to WVU.

At North Texas, seven Mean Green programs combined to win 17 conference or division championships during Baker’s tenure. UNT also reached new heights in the classroom under Baker’s leadership, posting its top APR scores and four consecutive department Graduation Success Rate (GSR) records. Baker led record fundraising years at North Texas, and the overall top five largest gifts ever at UNT came under Baker’s leadership.

Prior to North Texas, Baker was the deputy director of athletics at Missouri from 2015 to 2016, serving as the top advisor and chief of staff.

Before Missouri, he spent time at Memphis from 2013-15 as deputy athletics director.
 
From 2011-13, Baker was athletics director at NCAA Division II power Northwest Missouri State. From 2006-11, Baker served as the first athletics director at Rogers State in Claremore, Oklahoma, where he was also the school’s first men's basketball coach. His team went 20-11 in his only season at the helm, and during his tenure, he developed a full-scale, competitive collegiate athletics program. In 2005, he was the principal and athletics director for Valliant Public Schools, and at age 26, was the youngest principal in Oklahoma history.

Originally from Valliant, Oklahoma, Baker earned his bachelor's degree in education from Southeastern Oklahoma State in 2001 where he was a member of the honors program. He went on to earn his master's degree in education leadership from Oklahoma State in 2003.

While at Oklahoma State, Baker was a graduate assistant and basketball operations assistant for the Cowboys' men's basketball program under legendary head coach Eddie Sutton. During his time with OSU, the
Cowboys posted a 102-30 record, reaching four NCAA tournaments with trips to the 2004 Final Four and the 2005 Sweet 16.

Baker and his wife, Heather, a Bokchito, Oklahoma, native, have two daughters, Addisyn and Reagan.