Charleston Southern University introduced Jeff Barber as the school’s third Athletic Director on May 17, 2018. Barber, who spent a decade as an administrator at the University of South Carolina and another 11 years as athletic director at Liberty University, became the third A.D. in CSU history.

Barber brought with him 29 years of total Division I college athletic experience, most recently at fellow Big South Conference institution, Liberty, from 2006-2016. Barber follows Howard Bagwell (1965-2000) and Hank Small (2001-2018) as he assumes leadership of the Buccaneers’ athletic department.

During his tenure at Liberty, Barber was instrumental in leading the Flames on to the next level of collegiate athletics. His efforts were recognized in June 2012 when he was named the NACDA FCS Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year for the Southeast region.

Barber spurred a record-setting increase in Flames Club memberships, giving and season ticket sales for football and basketball. During the last 10 years, the Flames Club experienced tremendous growth and collected nearly $10 million in total contributions. Flames Club membership hit the 1,000 mark in 2015, a near 10-fold growth during Barber’s time at Liberty.

Barber spearheaded new construction efforts for baseball (Liberty Baseball Stadium), softball (Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium), field hockey and lacrosse (Liberty Field Hockey and Lacrosse Fields and East Campus Field House), men’s and women’s soccer (Luurtsema Center) and men’s golf (Clarkson Club and driving range).

Liberty’s athletic programs continued to soar to new heights on the field of competition throughout Barber’s tenure. Over his 11-year span, Liberty won 83 conference titles, including seven Big South football championships, and earned NCAA Tournament berths in baseball, field hockey, football, men’s basketball, men’s golf, men’s soccer, softball, volleyball, women’s basketball and women’s soccer. Additionally, Liberty student-athletes won five individual NCAA Division I national championships during Barber’s time on Liberty Mountain.  

Barber’s academic backing also paid huge dividends for Liberty’s student-athletes. In 2011, Liberty became the 14th school in the country to receive national academic certification from the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics (N4A).

Barber joined Liberty after spending 10 years at the University of South Carolina, including his last three years as senior associate athletic director for development/Gamecock Club executive director. He also worked for four years apiece in both the Furman and East Carolina athletic departments.

Barber graduated cum laude at East Carolina in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science in health, physical education, and recreation. In 1997, he continued his education with a degree from the Sports Management Institute, graduating as class spokesman.

A native of Greenville, N.C., Barber and his wife, Donna, have three children: Katie, Lindsay, and Jay.