WCU Athletics AD & Senior Staff

WESTERN CAROLINA ATHLETICS – DEPARTMENT SENIOR STAFF

DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS ALEX GARY

Alex Gary, a former student-athlete on the Western Carolina University baseball team was dubbed the next director of the Catamount athletics program in late February 2020. Gary had most recently served as senior associate athletics director for development at Oregon State University.

WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown announced the selection of Gary on Friday, Feb. 28 to serve as director of athletics following approval of his contract by the university’s Board of Trustees during a special conference call meeting earlier in the day. The appointment, which is effective May 1, follows a national search conducted by a 15-member committee working with the assistance of the North Carolina-based executive search consulting firm Collegiate Sports Associates.

Gary served as senior associate director of athletics and the department’s chief development officer at Oregon State since September 2017. He previously served as associate athletics director for development and external relations at the University of Maryland from 2014 until 2017. He also has held development positions at the University of Michigan and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Gary’s professional experience in major collegiate athletics conferences, such as the Pac-12 and Big Ten, combined with his personal familiarity with WCU as a former student-athlete make him a perfect fit to take over the helm of the Catamount athletics program, Brown said.

A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, who grew up in Charlotte, Gary was an outfielder on the WCU baseball team from 2001 until 2004, earning Southern Conference Player of the Week honors in March 2004. During his junior year of 2003, he was a member of WCU’s regular season and Southern Conference Tournament championship baseball team and participated in the NCAA regionals held in Wilson.

At Oregon State, he has been a member of the executive leadership team responsible for the athletics department’s $85 million budget, 150 employees and more than 500 student-athletes. He oversees the 16-member athletics development team, which raised nearly $26 million in 2019, a record for the Beavers’ athletics program. That fundraising effort included a $3.5 million sports performance center renovation, $2.3 million women’s locker room renovation, and $2.6 million baseball stadium expansion.

During his stint at the University of Maryland, Gary chaired a committee focused on the financial sustainability of the athletics department, and he led annual giving growth in the Terrapin Club by 22 percent in 2015 and 13 percent in 2016. As a member of the development team at the University of Michigan from 2010 until 2014, he worked closely with the university’s athletics department, raising $12.8 million to support the Wolverines’ athletics program’s capital and endowment needs. He began his career in 2009 as assistant director of annual giving at UNC Charlotte.

He earned a degree in business administration in 2005 from Virginia Commonwealth University and his master’s degree in business administration at UNC Charlotte in 2009.

Gary was selected from a slate of more than 40 qualified candidates for the position after an initial narrowing of a larger list of possibilities, said Ivy Gibson, WCU associate general counsel and chair of the athletics director search committee. Six candidates were interviewed by the search committee off-site in Charlotte.

Gary and the former Katie Mavis of Saint Joseph, Mich., were married in a mountain-top ceremony in Oregon on Aug. 28, 2020.

Kyle Pifer

Deputy Athletics Director Stacey Miller

Associate AD for Academics & Compliance (SWA) Chad Gerrety

Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs Julie Miller

Associate Athletic Director for Development Travis Chandler

Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance Daniel Hooker

Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations Amanda Murchie

Assistant Athletic Director for Business

Western Carolina Athletics Mission Statement:

Catamount Athletics strives to foster a championship culture while preparing student-athletes for livelong success. #FIGHTON

Guiding Principles and Beliefs:

Derived from the lyrics of the Western Carolina University's Fight Song, the phrase “FIGHT ON” has been associated with Catamount Athletics for a long time. This acronym now helps to outline the guiding principles and beliefs that will support the success of Catamount Athletics.

FIRST CLASS STUDENT EXPERIENCE: We want all Catamount student-athletes to have an experience that allows them to reach their personal and competitive goals.

INNOVATE AND BUILD THE BRAND: We commit to continuous improvement and making Catamount Athletics known.

GROW IN EVERY WAY: We believe growth in all areas is necessary to reach our mission. HOLISTIC STUDENT-ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT: We believe that the future of a student-athlete is as important as the present.

TALENT AND CULTURE WINS: We want Catamount Athletics to be a great place to be.

OUTREACH AND ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT: We know that partnership is critical to reach our mission.

NOW IS OUR TIME!: We believe that Catamount Athletics is positioned for a high level of competitive success.

UNITED WE PLAY. UNITED WE WIN.

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