University of Wisconsin-Madison named a nine-person search committee for a new athletic director May 12, after former athletic director Chris McIntosh announced his resignation April 13. The committee plans to make the hire this summer.
The committee is chaired by social work professor Lauren Bishop, who serves as UW-Madison’s Faculty Athletics Representative to the Big Ten and NCAA and is also a former Duke collegiate rower. The committee will report its recommendations to incoming interim chancellor Eric Wilcots, who will be the athletic director’s direct supervisor.
The new athletic director will take over for interim director Marcus Sedberry, who previously served as Wisconsin’s deputy athletic director and football general manager.
Preferred qualities for the athletic director are “a strong emphasis on student-athlete health, wellbeing, academic success, finance and facilities, fundraising and excellence in competition,” a May 12 press release said.
The athletic director oversees all of UW-Madison’s varsity athletic programs. They will also serve on Wilcots’ executive committee, and work with the Athletic Board and others as well as “campus leadership and governance groups.” The new director will be expected to communicate with “alumni, philanthropic supporters and community stakeholders,” the press release said.
Bishop said in the press release the committee will engage in conversations with “student-athletes, athletic department coaches and staff, alumni and other stakeholders” in coming weeks.
The committee is smaller than recent 25-member and 23-member search committees announced for a Universities of Wisconsin president and UW-Madison chancellor, respectively.
Five of the nine members are former UW-Madison student-athletes across women’s tennis, men’s track and field, men’s basketball, football and women’s hockey. William Smith, a player on the UW-Madison men’s soccer team, is the only student.
Rob Cramer, UW-Madison vice chancellor for finance and administration, and Michael Shannon, co-founder of KSL Capital Partners and board member of the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association, are the only members who are not current or former student-athletes.
Other members include Chris Ballard, general manager for the Indianapolis Colts and former UW-Madison football player, Meghan Duggan, director of player development for the New Jersey Devils and former UW-Madison women’s hockey player and Michael Finley, a former UW-Madison men’s basketball player who works for the Dallas Mavericks.
McIntosh began his role as Big Ten’s deputy commissioner for strategy May 1, after announcing his resignation in April. He made a $1.5 million base salary as athletic director.
As UW’s athletic director, McIntosh presided over an ever-changing era of college athletics, including the advent of name, image and likeness rules, which he criticized along with unlimited transfers for promoting “roster instability.” He supported a bill enacted into law this legislative session creating a public records exemption for NIL contracts.
He fervently supported his hires, like football coach Luke Fickell, through criticism over team performance after the football team went 16-21 overall during Fickell’s tenure and ended a 22-year bowl streak. He also backed Coach Greg Gard when he received criticism after the men’s basketball team petered out early in back-to-back NCAA tournaments.
Consulting firm CSA Search and Consulting will assist with the search.
Sonia Bendre is the campus news editor for The Daily Cardinal. You can reach her at sonia.bendre@dailycardinal.com.
