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VCU initiates search for new AD

Chris Graham

Virginia Commonwealth University President Michael Rao today announced that a search committee and an advisory committee have been established to assist a search consulting firm in the recruitment and hiring of VCU’s next Director of Athletics.

The successful candidate will replace Norwood Teague, who is leaving VCU to be athletics director at the University of Minnesota.

“The recruitment of VCU’s new athletics director will be an inclusive and expeditious process,” Rao said. “It is essential to have broad representation in the selection of the right individual to lead the VCU athletics program – a program that is an important part of moving VCU forward and plays an important role in the greater Richmond community.”

The search firm, Carr Sports Consulting LLC, has been retained to identify and evaluate potential candidates for the position.

An advisory committee of 18 members will assist the consulting firm and the search committee in identifying critical issues for the future success of the VCU athletics program and in ascertaining the experience, talents and credentials of the ideal candidate for the athletics director position. Advisory committee members represent the athletics department, student athletes, faculty and academic leadership, alumni, donors, administration and the greater Richmond community.

The nine-member search committee will manage all aspects of the search, including selecting candidates for interviews, conducting interviews and recommending up to four finalists for consideration to President Rao.

Members appointed to the committees are as follows:

Athletics Director Search Advisory Committee

–        Pat Stauffer, committee chair and associate athletics director, Olympic sports and senior women’s administrator

Athletics Department:

–        David Gifford, men’s soccer head coach

–        Shannon Karl, women’s field hockey head coach

–        Paul Kostin, men’s tennis head coach

–        Tiffany Sahaydak, women’s soccer co-head coach

Student Athletes:

–        David Hinton, men’s basketball

–        Melanie Marotta, field hockey

–        Andrew Wells, men’s soccer

Faculty and Academic Leadership:

–        Dan Ream, director of Outreach and Distance Education, University Libraries

–        Nathan Tomasini, executive director, Center for Sports Leadership

Alumni, Community Members, Donors:

–        James Burgess, director, Principled Data Governance

–        Arnold Henderson, attorney at law, Arnold Henderson and Associates

–        James Neifeld, chair, Surgery, VCU Health System

–        John Phipps, senior vice president for investments, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC

–        Mike Rinko, owner, Colonial Scientific

–        Gene Rosen, partner, Rosen and Underdown

Administrators:

–        Larry Little, vice president of Support Services, VCU Health System

–        William Cole, executive director, Assurance Services

Search Committee

–        Richard O. Bunce, committee chairman and senior adviser to the president

–        David Boardman, chief executive officer, Dynamic Brands

–        John Doswell, vice rector, VCU Board of Visitors

–        Mike Ellis, associate athletic director

–        Sofia Hiort-Wright, associate athletic director for academic support and associate dean for student services

–        Joseph Marolla, vice provost for instruction and NCAA Faculty Athletics representative

–        Stuart Siegel, member, VCU Board of Visitors

–        Shaka Smart, head coach, men’s basketball team

–        Beverly Warren, provost and vice president for academic affairs

Multimedia

 




Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].

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