Gannon University President Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D., has named Mark Richard as Director of Athletics. The Meadville, Pa., native and former Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) student-athlete will be introduced during a press conference in Gannon’s Old Main Boardroom Thursday, May 7 at 3:30 p.m. and is expected to begin his duties June 8.

Richard comes to Gannon after spending the last 10 years at NCAA Division I Auburn University of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), including the last four years as the Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Team Support. He was an integral part of the leadership and strategic planning group.

“Gannon is very excited to welcome Mark Richard as Gannon’s Director of Athletics,” said Garibaldi. “With his two decades of experience at five Division I universities, his four years as a student-athlete in two sports at a PSAC member university and his appreciation of Gannon’s Mission, Mark has the ideal qualities to raise Gannon’s record of academic and athletic success even higher in all of its 18 NCAA Division II sports.”

Richard brings over 20 years of collegiate sports administration experience to Gannon. He started his Auburn tenure as the Associate Director of Athletics in 1999 and served in that capacity until 2004, when he was promoted to Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Team Support. His experience and duties at Auburn included compliance, budgets, scheduling, strategic planning, direct supervision of selected sports, and drug-testing policies for an institution with approximately 500 student-athletes.

“I am extremely excited to become the next Director of Athletics at Gannon University,” noted Richard. “I look forward to working under President Garibaldi’s leadership as we move the athletics department forward. Being from western Pennsylvania, I fully understand Gannon’s tradition and impact on the Erie community.

“I am also excited about returning to the PSAC and helping our coaches and student-athletes compete for PSAC championships. Gannon is a unique institution with great student-athletes and I hope to facilitate their excellence in the classroom and in the field of competition.”

Richard has administration experience at five NCAA Division I institutions. Prior to his time at Auburn, Richard served as the Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance at Vanderbilt University (1997-99) and the Director of NCAA Compliance and Student Services at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (1995-97), where he implemented a continuing NCAA Compliance Education Program and the CHAMPS program. He began his stay at UNLV as the Coordinator of Game Operations (1993-95), where he also served as the Director of Bowl Game Operations for the Las Vegas Bowl.

The 48-year-old began his administrative career as an Operations/Facilities Advisor at the University of Florida (1988-90), before moving to North Carolina State University to become the Director of Student-Athlete Services (1990-93).

Richard graduated from PSAC member Clarion University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He was a two-sport athlete at Clarion, lettering four times in football (1979-82) and playing one season (1980) for the baseball team. Richard earned his Master’s of Exercise and Sport Sciences with a sports management emphasis from the University of Florida in 1989. He and his wife, Tracy (Elliott), have three daughters, Mackenzie Margaret (8), Hope Elliott (21 months) and Nicole Rene (21 months).