The search for UB’s next athletics director has begun with the appointment of a search committee co-chaired by UB Council member Jonathan Dandes, BS ’74, president of Rich Baseball Operations, and Beth Del Genio, PhD ’01, chief of staff to the president.

The search is seeking a successor to Allen Greene, who left UB to lead the athletics program at Auburn University. Kathy Twist, senior associate athletics director for sport administration and senior woman administrator, is serving as interim AD.

The search committee, appointed by President Satish K. Tripathi, includes faculty and senior administrators, coaches and student-athletes, alumni and community members with relevant professional interests and expertise.

In addition to the co-chairs, the search committee includes:

• Jim Atwood, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Chemistry and faculty athletics representative.
• Laura Barnum, MBA ’00, BS ’93, associate vice president for resource planning and a former UB student-athlete.
• Blair Brown Lipsitz, head coach, women’s volleyball.
• Mark Frank, BA ’83, professor and chair of the Department of Communication.
• Rodney Grabowski, vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement.
• Nicolette Jacobs, a member of the softball team and president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
• Lance Leipold, head coach, football
• Thomas Murphy, BA ’69, retired director of sales for Graystar LLC.
• Bridget Niland, JD ’98, EdM ’98, BA ’95, director of youth sports initiatives for the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo and a former UB student-athlete.
• Devon Patterson, member of the track and field team, and vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
• Suzanne Rosenblith, dean of the Graduate School of Education.
• Cheryl Taplin, MS ’92, senior associate vice provost and director of student success and retention.

UB also has hired the consulting firm Parker Executive Search to assist with the search. The firm has substantial expertise in higher education and sports practice recruiting, as well as familiarity with the UB community.

The search committee will begin its work immediately, with a goal of making an appointment during the spring semester.

For information on the search and its progress, visit the search website.