UTSA announces search committee, plan to recruit new Athletic Director

(Sept. 18, 2017) -- University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) President Taylor Eighmy today announced the establishment of a search committee, comprised of university representatives, supporters and community partners, to initiate a nationwide search for a new Vice President/Director of Intercollegiate Athletics.

In establishing the committee, Eighmy emphasized that the group’s goal should be “to identify an exceptional leader who is committed to the university’s advancement to excellence in academics, research, engagement and athletics.”

Concurrently, the university has engaged Collegiate Sports Associates (CSA), one of the nation’s leading executive search and consulting firms specializing in NCAA Division I athletics, to conduct the candidate search. CSA assisted the university in 2016 in its successful recruitment and selection of Frank Wilson as UTSA head football coach. Its president and founder, Todd Turner, has been involved in collegiate sports for more than 30 years including serving as Director of Athletics at four major NCAA Division I universities.  

Members of the university search committee are:

• Sam Gonzales, UTSA Vice President for Student Affairs and Interim Athletic Director (chair)
• Sheryl Sculley, City Manager, City of San Antonio
• Gene H. Dawson, Jr., President of Pape-Dawson Engineers and President of the UTSA Roadrunner Athletics Foundation
• Martin Salinas, Chief Financial Officer of Energy Transfer Partners and UTSA Alumnus, Class of 2014
• Pat Frost, President of Frost Bank & Group Executive Vice President of Frost Wealth Advisors, and chair of the local organizing committee for the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2004, 2008 and 2018 and chair of the Alamo Bowl in 2003 and 2013
• Mike Ciskowski, Executive Vice President and CFO of Valero Energy Corporation and member of the Board of Directors of the Valero Alamo Bowl
• Marjie French, UTSA Vice President for External Relations
• Kathy Funk-Baxter, UTSA Vice President for Business Affairs
• Albert Carrisalez, UTSA Assistant Vice President for Governmental Relations
• Gregg Michel, Associate Professor, UTSA Department of History and faculty athletics representative 
• Marcus Thomas, UTSA Student Government Association President and student representative

Additionally, DeLoss Dodds, athletics director at The University of Texas at Austin for 32 years, has agreed to serve as an advisor to Eighmy and the committee. During his time at UT Austin, the athletics program earned 14 national championships and 108 conference titles in nine different men's sports. Dodds was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and into the National Association of College Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.

“This is an exceptional committee with a deep commitment to seeing the athletics program, and UTSA as a whole, achieve its full potential as San Antonio’s university for the 21^st century,” said Eighmy. “We look forward to the energy and leadership that the new athletic director will bring in taking UTSA Athletics to the next level and building on our great base of support in the community.” 

The university expects to complete the recruitment process in late 2017.

UTSA is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) of learning and discovery advancing to recognition as a world-class research enterprise.

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