NFL GM among those on Wisconsin's search committee to find next AD

MADISON – The University of Wisconsin has taken the next step toward finding its next athletic director, with the expectation of someone taking the reins this summer.

The university has tabbed CSA Search and Consulting to help with the search for a replacement for Chris McIntosh and assembled a nine-person search committee, it announced on May 12.

UW professor (and faculty athletics representative) Lauren Bishop will chair the committee. Other members include Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard, Dallas Mavericks co-interim general manager Michael Finley and New Jersey Devils director of player development Meghan Duggan. Ballard, Finley and Duggan, among others on the committee, are former UW athletes.

"It is vitally important we hear from a variety of voices on the qualities we should be seeking in a new director," Bishop said in the news release. "To achieve that goal, the committee will spend the next several weeks seeking feedback from student-athletes, athletic department coaches and staff, alumni and other stakeholders."

Eric Wilcots, UW's incoming interim chancellor, initiated the search process. Outgoing chancellor Jennifer Mnookin tasked Wilcots with taking the lead ahead of her departure on May 16 to become the next president of Columbia University.

"Wisconsin Athletics plays a vital role in the life of our campus and our community; its success matters," Wilcots said in the release.

The news of the search firm and search committee comes almost a month after McIntosh announced his resignation on April 13 to accept a new position in the Big Ten office as the deputy commissioner for strategy. It concluded a five-year tenure as Wisconsin’s athletic director as Barry Alvarez’s replacement.

Marcus Sedberry – previously Wisconsin’s deputy athletic director and football general manager – has been serving as interim athletic director since then. He told reporters on April 23 that he did not have a “clear picture” at that point of how long he would be in the interim role. He also did not indicate whether he will seek the permanent job.

Potential challenges facing the next leader of the athletic department include a football program coming off back-to-back losing seasons and a budget with rising costs and a shrinking football ticket base.

Wisconsin’s search committee for next athletic director

• Chris Ballard (Indianapolis Colts GM, former UW football player)
• Rob Cramer (UW vice chancellor for finance and administration, UW alum)
• Meghan Duggan (New Jersey Devils director of player development, former UW hockey player)
• Michael Finley (Dallas Mavericks co-interim GM, former UW basketball player)
• Elzie Higginbottom (president of East Lake Management & Development Corp., former UW track and field athlete)
• Marija Pientka (UW senior associate athletic director for sports administration, former UW women’s tennis athlete)
• Michael Shannon (co-founder and former chairman/CEO of KSL Capital Partners, UW alum)
• William Smith (current UW men’s soccer player, president of UW’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee)

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin announces committee, timeline for finding athletic director