MEDIA ADVISORY: UNK hosts final athletics director finalist Aug. 7

Contact: Kelly Bartling, assistant vice chancellor, Communications and Community Relations, 308-224-7473, bartlingkh@unk.edu

Writer: Todd Gottula, director of news and internal communications, 308-865-8454, gottulatm@unk.edu

What: Athletics director candidate forum
When: 11 a.m., Aug. 7
Where:Ponderosa Room at the Nebraskan Student Union

KEARNEY – The community will have the opportunity to meet Mary Ellen Gillespie, the final of four candidates for the University of Nebraska at Kearney athletics director position, on Aug. 7.

A campus community and media forum is scheduled at 11 a.m. in the Ponderosa Room at the Nebraskan Student Union. A community forum open to the public will begin at 5 p.m. in the Nebraskan Student Union room 310.

Gillespie is associate athletics director for external relations at Bowling Green State University (Division I), where she has been heavily involved in development/major gifts since 2006. She has extensive experience in development, advancement and student life at Purdue University, the North American Interfraternity Conference and University of Iowa.

Her areas of focus at Bowling Green include fundraising, ticketing, media rights, corporate partnerships, athletic communications, licensing, marketing, promotions and game day atmosphere. She also serves as sport administrator for men’s and women’s cross country and women’s track and field.

During Gillespie’s tenure, BGSU athletics raised $28 million. She also led the campaign for the new $36 million Stroh Center, which was the university’s largest facility fundraising effort. At Purdue she helped raise more than $5 million in 14 months.

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