Northern Kentucky University has appointed Mike Odom as its next Director of Athletics following a complete nationwide search.
Odom was most just lately the deputy athletic director for exterior relations at Creighton University and has additionally served in athletic administration roles at North Carolina State University and Wake Forest University.
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“Mike stood out throughout this national search because of his strategic leadership, authenticcommunication, record of revenue generation and commitment to student-athlete success,”NKU President Cady Short-Thompson mentioned. “College athletics is evolving rapidly, and we have adynamic leader who understands both the opportunities and the challenges ahead. We areexcited to welcome Mike and his family to NKU and are confident he will build strongrelationships on campus and throughout our community as he leads Norse Athletics forward.”
Odom’s areas of experience embrace strategic planning, fundraising, income technology, student-athlete help, exterior relations and championship success. He will likely be launched at a press convention on July 9 and can formally start his tenure on Aug. 3.
He takes over for Christina Roybal, who had served within the function since 2022 however abruptly left in March to turn out to be a senior advisor at Motion Sports, a agency that gives instruments for school athletic departments amongst an ever-changing panorama.
Mike Odom is Northern Kentucky University’s latest athletic director.
“I am deeply honored and grateful to President Cady Short-Thompson and the searchcommittee for the opportunity to serve as the next director of athletics at Northern KentuckyUniversity,” Odom mentioned. “Throughout this process, I was inspired by the university’s vision,its commitment to building meaningful connections throughout the region and its unwaveringdedication to providing an exceptional experience for student-athletes. I am excited to workalongside the talented coaches, dedicated staff and outstanding student-athletes as we pursueexcellence in every aspect of the collegiate experience ‒ from competition to the classroom toservice in the community. Together, we will build on the proud tradition of Norse Athletics whileembracing new opportunities to grow and succeed. My family and I are thrilled to join the NKUcommunity and are excited to call Northern Kentucky home.”
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As just lately as 2024, the college was working at a $24 million finances deficit however just lately authorised a $222 million finances for 2026-2027 that features a $2.1 million surplus.
Since transitioning to Division I in 2015, NKU has loved a wealth of success in each the Atlantic Sun Conference and Horizon League. The males’s basketball group has gained 4 Horizon League event titles, the softball group superior to the NCAA Tournament in 2023 and 2026 and the ladies’s volleyball group has been a perennial league contender.
In November 2023, the college introduced the addition of six new sports activities: males’s volleyball, males’s and girls’s swimming, males’s and girls’s triathlon and girls’s stunt.
This article initially appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Northern Kentucky University names next director of athletics