University of Arkansas-Little Rock Athletic Director George Lee has decided to step down from that position and transition back to his previous role as a senior associate athletic director, the school announced in a release Wednesday.
Lee will continue to serve as athletic director while a search committee conducts a national search to find his replacement.
"I want to thank George for his diligent and dedicated service as our Athletic Director these last four years," UALR Chancellor Christina S. Drale said in a release. "When George was first appointed, we planned for this to be a temporary arrangement until I could stabilize the university's finances and enrollment."
Drale also said she will be forming the search committee to find Lee's replacement.
Lee was named athletic director on Nov. 1, 2019 and guided the Trojans athletic programs throughout the covid-19 pandemic. A native of Hot Springs who graduated from UALR in 1987, Lee has worked for the Trojans athletic department dating back to 1996.
Lee will return to his former position as senior associate athletic director for business operations, where he will oversee the day-to-day business and financial operations of the school's athletic programs. In the nearly four years Lee served as athletic director, he was tasked with leading the athletic department through the rapidly changing landscape of NCAA college athletics. Conference realignment, the transfer portal and name, image and likeness policies were among those changes.
"He led us through our own conference transition to the Ohio Valley Conference with new branding and new opportunities," Drale said in the release. "George Lee has served us admirably as our Director of Athletics and I have no doubt that he will continue to support the success of our student athletes and the overall mission of our university."
Lee did not return calls to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Wednesday night.