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Football Staff
Coleman Barnes is the senior associate athletics director and chief of staff for the football program. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the program, including administrative personnel, the external affairs and the budget. Barnes joined the Mountaineer football staff as the associate athletics director for football external affairs in February 2019. At West Virginia, Barnes collaborates with the athletics administration and external units to further the West Virginia football brand and its effectiveness and efficiency. He promotes new ideas, development and growth to help position the football program for championship-level success.
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Barnes is the program’s liaison with marketing, tickets, Mountaineer Athletic Club, athletics communications and digital media. He is the liaison between the football program and Learfield and oversees the coordination of speaking engagements for the football program.
Barnes is responsible for all program operations associated with recruiting, including hiring personnel, maintaining the budget and establishing branding and messaging. He also markets, promotes and brands the program to recruits, high school coaches, alumni and fans, including overseeing the digital and creative content, graphic design and social media platforms to promote the football brand. Barnes came to West Virginia from Utah State where he served since July 2017, first as the assistant vice president and deputy director of athletics for external affairs and most recently as the associate vice president and deputy director of athletics. Under the direction of the vice president and director of athletics, he was responsible for the overall administration, management and supervision of all department areas that engaged with external constituents. He led USU’s athletic development staff and also oversaw athletics’ external departments, which included marketing and promotions, media relations and video. He also served as the liaison for ticket operations and sales and Aggie Sports Properties. Prior to Utah State, Barnes spent four years at Miami University, where he served as the associate athletics director/senior director of development for threeand-a-half years, before being promoted to executive associate athletics director/ senior director of development his last year.
During his time at Miami, Barnes served as a co-manager for the Graduating Champions Campaign, raising more than $65 million toward the $80 million goal. In 2015, Barnes’ team raised a then-record $28.3 million in gifts and pledges, including $5.02 million in cash.
Barnes also boosted Miami’s Red & White Club membership to more than 2,000 members, a 27-percent increase since his arrival in 2013 and increased revenue by 24 percent, up to $880,000 per year. Prior to Miami, Barnes spent two years at UAB, as the associate athletics director for development. He oversaw Blazer Boosters, the fundraising unit for UAB Athletics, increasing the annual fund membership by 54% through a 16-month initiative. Prior to UAB, Barnes served from 2008-11 at Fresno State as the executive director of The Bulldog Foundation and associate athletics director for development. As an executive administrator, he oversaw all components of the development office that raised approximately $6 million annually. He also managed a development team that successfully secured funding for a $6 million sports medicine center and a $1.2 million turf project. From 2005-08, Barnes served as the assistant director for the UMAA Foundation, the fundraising unit for Ole Miss Athletics, playing an integral role in raising nearly $13 million annually
Prior to Ole Miss, Barnes was a development associate for the Hurricane Club at the University of Miami (2004-05) and an intern in Harvard’s Athletics Ticket Office (2003-04).
Barnes graduated from Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in education in 2002 with a major in kinesiology and a minor in business. He was a three-year letterwinner on the Wildcats’ football team as the team’s long snapper. In 2004, he earned his master’s degree from Kentucky in kinesiology with an emphasis in sport management and completed his Ph.D. in higher education from Ole Miss in 2017.
A native of Bardstown, Kentucky, Barnes, and his wife, Mary Beth, have two children, Caroline and William.
Assistant Athletics Director/ Football Operations
Patrick Johnston oversees the internal operations of the football program as the assistant athletics director for football operations. He joined the WVU football staff in January 2019 as the director of football operations. He came to West Virginia with head coach Neal Brown after serving as the director of campus recruiting and assistant director of football operations at Troy for two years. At WVU, Johnston plays a key role in future capital projects. He works closely with external entities and internal parties surrounding facility improvements and branding. Johnston leads all planning and scheduling on behalf of the football program, including team travel, game day operations, preseason training camp and in-season practices. Johnston also serves as a lead bowl game management administrator. He organizes the team leadership council and handle all event management for the football program. Johnston spent two years (2017-18) as Troy’s director of campus recruiting and assistant director of football operations after he served as Troy’s recruiting analyst during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Prior to that, he spent one semester working with the Troy equipment department. The Montgomery, Alabama, native spent five years as the director of member services for Wynlakes Golf and Country Club before coming to Troy in July 2015. Johnston earned his master’s degree from Troy in sport management in 2017.
DAVID FAULKNER
Special Assistant to the Head Coach
David Faulkner assists the head coach, assistant athletics director for football operations and the football staff with internal matters pertaining to the day-to-day operations of the football program. He joined the Mountaineer football staff in 2021 after serving as the offensive coordinator at Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia. Prior to that, he was the director of player personnel and high school relations at Troy University for two years (201921). He joined the Troy staff following seven years as the head coach at Enterprise High School, where he led the Wildcats to four playoff appearances at the highest level of Alabama high school football. Faulkner was named the Alabama 7A Coach of the Year following a 10-2 run in 2016.
Prior to taking over at Enterprise, Faulkner led Fairhope (Ala.) High School to a 28-9 record over three seasons culminating with an 10-3 record in 2011. The Pirates made three straight postseason appearances and won four playoff games. Fairhope had won just three playoff games over the previous 20 years combined.
Fairhope set a school record for points in 2011, and Faulkner guided the Pirates to a No. 4 ranking in the Alabama 6A polls during his first season in 2009. He spent two seasons (2007-08) as the offensive coordinator at Foley (Ala.) High School under current Alabama special assistant to the head coach Todd Watson. The Lions posted a combined 22-3 record and won a region title during his tenure. Faulkner preceded his stint at Foley with four seasons (2003-06) at powerhouse Hoover (Ala.) High School where he spent one season coaching the defensive backs before coaching the quarterbacks coach and play caller for one year before taking over as the offensive coordinator for the final two years. The Buccaneers won three Alabama 6A state titles and played in the championship game all four seasons. He, and current Mountaineer assistant head coach/ offensive line coach Matt Moore, worked together during the 2003-04 seasons. Faulkner began his coaching career at Clarke County (Ala.) High School (199899) in Grove Hill. After two seasons, he moved to the newly formed Alma Bryant (Ala.) High School, where he served as offensive coordinator (2000) and eventually head coach for one season (2001). He spent one season at Prattville in 2002, helping the Lions to a 12-2 record and a spot in the semifinals. Faulkner earned his bachelor’s degree from Troy in physical education in 1996. He is married to the former Christie Garrett and the couple has three children, Garrett, Grayson and Caroline.
Associate Director of Student-Athlete Enhancement/ Director of the 5th Quarter Program
Osman Kamara oversees the organization and execution of the 5th Quarter Program, WVU Football’s off-the-field development program. He was promoted to this position in July 2022. A former Mountaineer student-athlete, Kamara served as a graduate assistant with the 5th Quarter Program when he finished his playing career before becoming the assistant director of player reltaions for the past year. He assisted newcomers through the 5th Quarter’s Bridge Program, supporting student-athletes with their transition on campus.
Kamara oversaw the launching of the football program’s job networking system. He conducted programming to aid student-athletes in establishing their personal brand. He provided mentorship to student-athletes in the development of their leadership skills as they engaged with the athletics department, campus and Morgantown community.
He also assisted with the scheduling of speakers, program planning and securing resources for the student-athletes’ professional development in the 5th Quarter Program. He also built relationships with local business owners to provide micro-internship opportunities for the student-athletes. Kamara served as an intern with the WVU Athletics Marketing Department, helping executive game-day activities and promoting athletics teams on social media platforms.
Kamara was a member of the Mountaineer Football Program, playing in the defensive backfield and excelled on special teams. He was awarded the Tom Nickolich Award, given to the outstanding walk-on in the program and earned a scholarship. He also was named the program’s special teams most outstanding player in 2020.
A native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Kamara earned his bachelor’s degree from West Virginia in sport management in 2020 and his master’s degree in business administration in 2021.
TREY NEYER
Associate Director of Recruiting
Trey Neyer assists with the identification, development, strategy and execution of the recruiting plan for the Mountaineer football program. Neyer develops letter-writing campaigns and assists with the recruiting mailouts. He filters all defensive prospects related to position and coach, develops an academic profile for each prospect and helps plan and organize official and unofficial visits. He works with the video coordinator to compile profiles in a library on each of the defensive recruits, manages football recruiting accounts and monitors evaluations and submits profiles for evaluation.
Neyer came to West Virginia in 2020 after serving as the director of player personnel at Miami University (Ohio) since June 2018. He supervised the recruiting efforts for the RedHawks’ football program, oversaw the roster management and planning duties, managed all recruiting evaluations, and maintained and populated the program’s database. He coordinated the assistant coaches recruiting areas and assigned responsibilities and assisted with all recruiting aspects for the head coach.
Prior to that, Neyer was an offensive graduate assistant intern at Miami, working with the running backs and overseeing the team’s kickoff return responsibilities. He worked with the running backs during individual meetings and practice.
Neyer ran the defensive scout team meetings and coordinated the scout team secondary during practice. He assisted with opponent breakdowns, opponent kickoff return breakdown and assisted in assembling scouting report. Neyer had gameday communication of coverages and opponent kickoff return. He also recorded offensive play calls and defensive information.
As an undergraduate student at Alabama, Neyer was a student manager for the Crimson Tide football program. The North Bend, Ohio, native graduated with his bachelor’s degree in communication and information sciences in 2017.
Taylor West joined the Mountaineer football staff in April 2022 as the director of on-campus recruiting/assistant director of football operations. West manages the planning for on-campus official and unofficial recruiting visits by prospective student-athletes. She organizes football/recruiting mass communications, working in collaboration with the creative and recruiting staffs. In addition, she organizes and executes the recruiting communication plan.
For football operations, West assists with away game travel, including the travel party, police escort and all aspects of the hotel. She also oversees current player parent/guardian communication. West came to WVU after spending the past year at Illinois as the director of on-campus recruiting/assistant to the head coach. She organized official and unofficial visits and handled administrative and scheduling duties for the head coach. West was responsible for player parent/guardian and coaches’ spouse communication, along with other operations responsibilities.
West spent the summer of 2021 as the director of on-campus recruiting at Eastern Kentucky and also served as a compliance and football recruiting graduate assistant at Missouri State from August 2019 to May 2021.
The Iowa City, Iowa, native earned her bachelor’s degree in sport and recreation management from Iowa in 2019. While there, she was a member of the women’s rowing team and earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Athlete honors. Prior to her senior year, West spent the 2018-19 year as a recruiting operations intern at Stanford.
West completed her master’s degree in student affairs in higher education from Missouri State in 2021. Her thesis on athletic identity and academic success was published in the Journal of Student-Athlete Educational Development and Success.
CLAY BOLLINGER
Clay Bollinger joined WVU Athletics in March 2021 as the associate director of recruiting strategy and was promoted to assistant athletics director for creative and digital media in May 2022. In his new role, he directs and oversees the content of creative video, the department’s social media platforms and overall digital information strategies while working to increase WVU’s fan engagement on a national level. Also, he will manage West Virginia’s multiple official websites and deliver entertaining content across all platforms.
Coming to Morgantown in March 2021, Bollinger spent 2021-22 on the football staff as the director of recruiting strategy.
With Mountaineer football, he worked with the recruiting and creative staffs to maximize opportunities and implement the best strategy to promote the head coach and the football program to recruits and the fan base. He also established social media strategies for the head coach to market the program on a national level. Together with the WVU football creative staff, Bollinger produced creative material used in recruiting. He also led and constructed presentations and digital content for the overall advancement of West Virginia football. Prior to WVU football, Bollinger served as the director of recruiting content for Tennessee’s football program from 2018-21. He developed social media and recruiting creative communication strategy for the program in coordination with the media relations, marketing, broadcasting, photography, compliance, recruiting, creative department and the coaching staff. He created engaging social media content designed to reach top recruits in the nation.
Prior to Tennessee, Bollinger was a graduate assistant in Clemson’s athletic communications department in 2017-18. He assisted with the social media video production and operations. He was a designated publisher for @ClemsonFB, the nation’s most followed college football account at the time. He was part of the department’s team that developed and implemented strategy and digital content for the varsity sport’s social media accounts.
While he was attending Kentucky as an undergraduate, he worked as a football student assistant with the Wildcat program. He created digital content for @UKStoopsTroops, the team recruiting account, and @UKFootball, the team’s main account. He designed recruiting materials and assisted in recruiting oncampus events and operations.
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Bollinger earned his bachelor’s degree in integrated strategic communications/creative path from Kentucky in 2017. He graduated with his master’s degree in parks, recreation and tourism management from Clemson in 2020.
Associate Director of Creative Design
Jake Herron joined the Mountaineer football program in June 2022 as the associate director of recruiting content. He came to West Virginia after serving as a graphic designer for the Penn State football staff in 2021-22. At WVU, he develops, builds and creates the identity for the football program used in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes. He works with the staff to develop graphics and creative assets for use on social platforms, on-campus and off-campus recruitment. He also works closely with the coaching staff to develop recruiting plans and supporting graphics for selling the program’s vision.
Prior to WVU, he created graphics for social media, game day, match-up and statistical graphics for the Nittany Lion football program. He collaborated with the creative graphics staff on keeping a consistent brand throughout the football program. Herron also created personalized, generic and specialized graphics used in the recruiting process. He directed player photoshoots and recruiting photoshoots and designed graphics for facilities. He also created national signing day branding, design elements and social media graphics used in the announcement of signing class.
Herron also earned valuable experience as a freelance graphic designer (202021) with the Pitt women’s basketball program and as a graphic designer intern (2020 summer) with Pitt Athletics. He also oversaw numerous design projects for area high schools in Western Pennsylvania.
Herron earned his bachelor’s degree in graphic design from California University of Pennsylvania in 2021.
JEFF GUCKERT
Associate Director of Creative Video
Jeff Guckert joined the Mountaineer football staff in May 2022 as the assistant director of creative video. At WVU, Guckert is responsible for writing, producing and directing the football program’s video projects, ranging from recruiting materials, web features and hype videos. He assists with the oversight, production and management of content for the football program’s social media platforms and digital information strategies. He also creatively works to develop innovative digital and social media strategies to increase engagement with fans.
Guckert came to WVU after serving as the video production graduate assistant at Utah for the past year. He was the lead creator for Utah lacrosse, creating and managing media shoots and mentoring interns on creative content development. He covered multiple games each week and engaged in pre and post-match production to put media together in order to cover the content and stories of the program.
Guckert founded his own company in 2020 to build and promote brand image for multiple businesses. He collaborated with the key business stakeholders to determine the vision and project goals in order to produce media.
Guckert earned his bachelor’s degree in health from Utah in 2022. He also was accepted into the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at Utah, a competitive entrepreneur program for student innovators and creators.
He was a member of the Utes lacrosse team for a year before he was forced to retire due to injury. He served as a manager for a year, assisting the director of operations with the equipment operations and overseeing the student equipment managers.
SHAWN WALKER
Director of Video
Shawn Walker is Mountaineer football’s director of video, responsible for coordinating all aspects of the program’s video efforts. He handles the day-to-day video operations for practices and games, maintaining the in-house DVSport network, film breakdown and exchange and the instant replay system, as well as assisting in the production of highlight films. He was elevated to his current position in July 2022. He also provides specialized videos for each position coach to use and produces teaching videos for the coaches’ clinics. He has been a member of the Mountaineer Football staff since 2015, first as the assistant video coordinator, then video coordinator in 2019 before assuming his current role in July 2021.
Walker trains and supports the coaching staff with its analysis software and manages, creates and produces statistical data for team scouting analysis. He organizes, stores and archives video and videotapes of practice, game, opponent and self-scout for the football program. He also handles the exchange of opponents’ video, the conference office’s and supervisor of officials’ video and serves as the liaison to the Big 12 Conference on matters related to video exchange.
Walker served as a student video manager for Akron (2011-14), a game-day intern for the Akron RubberDucks (2014) and a minor league video intern for the Columbus Clippers (2015).
Walker, a native of Garrettsville, Ohio, earned his bachelor’s degree in sport management from Akron in 2014.
ALEX LEVEILLE
Assistant Director of Coaches Video
Alex LeVeille assists with the videotaping of all practices and games and the assigning of videographers for practices and games. He edits and processes opponent and self-scout videotape using analysis software for practices, games, offseason opponent preparation and recruiting material. He also assists with the shooting and editing of specialized videos for each position coach to use and produces teaching videos for the coaches’ clinics. LeVeille joined the Mountaineer football staff as the assistant video coordinator in June 2019 before assuming his current role in July 2021. He came to West Virginia after serving as a graduate assistant video coordinator at Southern Miss. At Southern Miss, Leveille was responsible for facilitating the filming of coaches’ video for practices and games. He imported and edited all opponent and position video and produced video for scouting and evaluation. He also produced highlight, motivational and instruction video content for the football program.
While earning his undergraduate degree at Central Michigan, LeVeille served as an intern and as a student assistant, assisting the video coordinator with editing, organizing and preparing game,
LeVeille graduated from Central Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in applied arts in 2017, majoring in sport management and minoring in business administration.
MATT JANSEN
Director of Personnel and Scouting
Matt Jansen has been on the Mountaineer football coaching staff since 2019, first as a player personnel and recruiting assistant for a year, before becoming the assistant director of scouting. He was recently promoted to the director of personnel and scouting. Jansen organizes, scouts and assists with all aspects of game analysis and game planning and works with the head coach and administration on all aspects of roster management. Prior to coming to Morgantown, Jansen was the college scouting coordinator for the Houston Texans (2015-18). He assisted with the day-to-day operation of the college scouting department, while also managing in-house scouting assistants and serving as a cross checker for schools in 11 states. He conducted more than 30 school visits, games and pro days per year, gathering background, evaluating college draft prospects and assigning a grade value to the players.
He also assisted the pro personnel staff with preseason scouting, practice squad evaluations, opponent advances, free agency and yearlong team evaluations. He also served as quality control of the scouting database to create a more simplified platform for the scouts. He also served as a player personnel assistant with the Baltimore Ravens (201315) and a college scouting intern for the Houston Texans (2011-13).
Jansen graduated in 2011 with his bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport sciences from Texas Tech, where he was a student assistant football coach (2006-11).
Jeff Casteel has been on the Mountaineer football staff as a defensive analyst since March 2020 and recently added the title of director of high school relations in June 2022. Casteel has 34 years of defensive coaching experience, including 27 years as a defensive coordinator. He has helped guide teams to 14 conference championships and 15 bowl appearances and has coached numerous All-Americans and professional players. He was named the rivals defensive coordinator of the year in 2007, Big East Defensive Coordinator of the Year in 2008, a Broyles Award nominee (five times) and the Football Scoop Linebacker Coach of the Year in 2014. During his tenure at WVU, the Mountaineers experienced one of their greatest periods of success, including winning three BCS bowl games - 2006 Sugar Bowl, 2008 Fiesta Bowl and the 2012 Orange Bowl.
Casteel returned to West Virginia after serving as the defensive coordinator and linebackers’ coach at Nevada for three years. In 2019, the Wolfpack finished 7-6 and earned a spot in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. In 2018, five of his starters earned All-Mountain West honors. From his first year to his second year, the Nevada defense improved from allowing 208.2 yards per game rushing to 142 and dropped the total defense from allowing 471.3 yards to 378.3 yards per game. Four of his players earned All-Mountain West Conference honors.
Prior to that, Casteel served as the defensive coordinator at Arizona from 201216. He helped lead the Wildcats to the 2014 Pac-12 South championship and four bowl game appearances, including the 2014 Fiesta Bowl. The defense aided in setting a school record for most wins over a four-year period. Casteel coached at West Virginia from 2001-2011, spending his first year as the defensive line coach, second year as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers’ coach and then the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the next nine years. The defense helped the WVU football program win six Big East Conference championships and produced four All-Americans, three Academic All-Americans, nine all-conference honoree and 23 professional players. The Mountaineers finished No. 3 in the nation in total defense in 2010, No. 7 in 2007 and No. 15 in 2005. He also spent time at UTEP as the defensive ends coach (2000) and at Shepherd University, first as the defensive line and strength coach from 1988-90 and as the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator from 1991-2000. Casteel earned his bachelor’s (1984) and master’s degrees (1986) from California University of Pennsylvania. He started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater from 1984-86, before becoming the defensive coordinator at Palmetto High School in Miami, Florida, and was a training camp assistant with the Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League in 1989.
Casteel, and his wife, Rosemary, have two children, Jake, the outside linebackers coach at Cal Poly, and Sarah, a graduate student at West Virginia.
TONY THOMPSON
Special Teams Analyst
Tony Thompson joined the Mountaineer coaching staff as the special teams analyst in June 2021. He organizes, implements and maintains all aspects of game analysis, including direct oversight of the game planning for special teams, analyzes game film and formulates game plans to assist the coaching staff with game preparation. He came to WVU after serving as an assistant coach at Stony Brook from 2009-21, coaching the outside linebackers (2007-08, 2011-12, 2020), defensive line (2009-10) and the special teams coordinator (2013-20).
At Stony Brook, he created and implemented special teams game plans, including development of playbook, supervised assistant and coaching staff to implement game plan, collaborated with defensive staff and head coach to develop the defensive plan and was responsible for daily development of special teams personnel, outside linebackers and defensive linemen. He also was the academic liaison for the football program from 2009-20, including helping the student-athletes select their classes and have weekly academic preparedness meetings.
With Thompson on staff, the Seawolves won the Big South Conference from 200912 and completed in the NCAA FCS playoffs in 2011, 12, 17 and 18. Stony Brook was in the top nationally for blocked punts (2016, 17, 19, 21), kickoff coverage (2012, 15, 17), kick return average (2015), punt coverage (2012, 18), punt return defense (2018) and punt return touchdowns (2016, 17, 18).
The Seawolves led the Big South in total defense (2012), scoring defense (2009, 12), rushing defense (2009, 2011) and pass defense efficiency (2012). He recruited three NFL players, coached all-conference kicker (2011, 12), punter (2013), specialists (2018, ‘21) and special teams player of the year (2021). He coached All-American long snapper (2019) and the conference leader in field goal percentage (2019).
Prior to that, Thompson served as the linebackers coach and assisted the special teams coach at Hofstra (2006), served as the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach at Franklin and Marshall (2003-05) and was the outside linebackers coach and assistant special teams coordinator University of Pennsylvania (2001-02). He started his coaching career at Stony Brook, coaching the linebackers (1997-99) as a graduate/student assistant coach and the defensive line (2000).
As a linebacker and long snapper during his collegiate career, Thompson played for Stony Brook after transferring from Western Connecticut. He began coaching as a Stony Brook graduate assistant for outside linebackers in 1997, where he would stay as a full-time staff member until 2000 when he moved to defensive line coach.
Thompson graduated from Stony Brook with his bachelor’s degree in history in 1997 and earned his master’s degree in arts and liberal studies with an advanced coaching certificate in 2000.
Thompson, and his wife, Erin, have two children, daughter, Laney, and son, Cade.
RYAN NEHLEN
Offensive Analyst
Former Mountaineer receiver Ryan Nehlen has served as the offensive analyst for the football program since 2018. Nehlen organizes, implements and maintains all aspects of game analysis for the offensive coaching staff. He analyzes game film and formulates game plans to assist the offensive coaching staff with game preparation. Nehlen returned to Morgantown after serving as a graduate assistant coach for two years at Michigan. He worked with the offensive staff during the 2016 season and the defensive staff during the 2017 season. The Wolverines won 10 games during the 2016 season.
Prior to arriving in Ann Arbor, he had a short stint as an offensive graduate assistant at Marshall and was the receivers coach for Glenville State during the 2015 season. He worked as a graduate assistant coach at Akron during the 2014 season. A two-year letterman at wide receiver at WVU , he contributed to successful teams that were 10-3 in 2011 and 7-6 record in 2012. He also was honored with All-Academic Team honors from the Big East (2011) and Big 12 (2012. Nehlen earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology from WVU in 2012. He and his wife, Micah, have a daughter, Penelope. He is the son of WVU football equipment manager Dan Nehlen and the grandson of Hall of Fame and former WVU head coach Don Nehlen.
RANDY WILKINS
Defensive Analyst
Randy Wilkins joined the Mountaineer football coaching staff in March 2022 as a defensive analyst. Wilkins organizes, implements and maintains all aspects of game analysis for the defensive coaching staff. He analyzes game film and formulates game plans to assist the defensive coaching staff with game preparation. Before WVU, he served as the defensive line coach at Midwestern State in Wichita Falls, Texas, for 12 years. In that time, the Mustangs had four Lone Star Conference championships, five NCAA Division II playoff appearances, an LSC playoff title and a trip to the Kanza Bowl.
Prior to his arrival at Midwestern, he served as defensive line coach at Texas A&M-Commerce from 2007-09 after completing two seasons as a graduate assistant at Troy.
At Midwestern State and Texas A&M Commerce, he coached two AllAmericans, three conference defensive linemen of the year and more than 25 all-conference performers.
The Jacksonville, Florida, native, played collegiately under legendary Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden and defensive legend Mickey Andrews at Florida State, where he worked his way into the defensive line rotation as a walk-on before earning a scholarship prior to his junior season. He was a member of five bowl teams, four of which played for the national championship. He saw action as a defensive end and as a nose guard while serving as a crucial backup to an eventual All American. Wilkins also played on special teams units as a three-year letterwinner. Wilkins graduated from FSU with a double major in business management and marketing in 2000. He earned his master’s degree from Troy in sport and fitness management in 2007.
He, and his wife, Jessica, have a son, Christian.
Equipment Manager
Dan Nehlen has been a member of the West Virginia Football staff since 1981, first as a student manager, then the assistant equipment manager in 1986 and the head equipment manager since 1988. The son of Hall of Fame and former Mountaineer coach Don Nehlen, he is responsible for maintaining and procuring all equipment and uniforms for the football program as well as overseeing the football student managers. Nehlen also coordinates the extensive movement of equipment when West Virginia hits the road.
A native of Canton, Ohio, Nehlen received a bachelor’s degree in physical education and safety in 1985 from West Virginia. He and his wife, Janie, have two children, Ryan and Danielle. Ryan serves as the Mountaineers’ offensive analyst.
CONOR MCNAMARA
Athletics Equipment Manager
Conor McNamara joined the WVU Athletic Department in December 2015 as an assistant equipment manager and was promoted to equipment manager in June 2019. A native of Venetia, Pennsylvania, McNamara handles the responsibilities for all Mountaineer Olympic sports teams. McNamara oversees the day-to-day operations of the equipment room at the WVU Coliseum, while working directly with Nike and handling daily department orders. Additionally, McNamara provides support to the equipment staff for the WVU football team, assisting the daily operations and working as the headset technician for all coaching staff communication on game days. He also travels with football, men’s soccer and other teams as needed. McNamara came to WVU after working with team sales at Century Sports, Inc., in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, from 2013-15. While there, he created and designed uniforms and other spirit wear for more than 75 school districts across Western Pennsylvania. He also served as a liaison with top sporting vendors, such as Nike, Under Armour and Schutt Sporting Goods. McNamara previously served as the head equipment manager for the WVU baseball team from 2012-13. He also interned with the WVU athletic facilities and operations office from 2010-13. McNamara earned his bachelor of science in sport management from WVU in 2013.
McNamara, his wife, Allison, and their son, Jack, reside in Morgantown.
AUSTIN BLAKE
Assistant Equipment Manager
Austin Blake has been a member of the Mountaineer football staff since 2018, first as a student manager until 2021, then a graduate assistant and then was promoted to assistant equipment manager in February 2022. Blake coordinates the maintenance and repair of athletic equipment, uniforms and facilities. He also prepares all the equipment for game day, including all areas of players’ gear and coaches’ game day apparel. He also assists in the purchasing, issuance, storage and accountability of all Nike athletic equipment, footwear and apparel and also assists in the coordination of the Coachcomm system, setting up for practices and game day.
Blake graduated from West Virginia with his bachelor’s degree in sport management in 2021, earning President’s List distinction, and will graduate with his master’s degree in sport management in May 2022.
Medical Director/Head Team Physician
A.J. Monseau, M.D., WVU Medicine Emergency Medicine and Sports Medicine physician, has been the head team physician and medical director for WVU Athletics since 2017. In 2016, Dr. Monseau served as the team physician for WVU Men’s Basketball. He also served as team physician for USA Wrestling at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As head team physician and medical director for WVU Athletics, Monseau leads the University’s staff of team physicians and works in conjunction with the athletic training staff to provide healthcare to all student-athletes. This includes injury prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, education, and counseling.
Originally from the Northern Panhandle, Monseau received his medical degree from and completed his residency training at the WVU School of Medicine. He then completed fellowship training in primary care sports medicine at the University of Michigan School of Medicine. He returned to his alma mater upon completion of his fellowship in 2011. Currently, Monseau is a professor in the WVU Department of Emergency Medicine. In addition to working as an attending physician in the J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital Emergency Department, he also sees sports medicine patients through WVU Medicine Orthopaedics. He is board certified in emergency medicine and primary care sports medicine.
Athletics have always been a part of Monseau’s life. After completing a threesport career at Wheeling Park High School, Monseau carried his love of sports through his undergraduate education, during which he competed on the West Liberty University (then West Liberty State College) wrestling team for his father, who is a National Wrestling Hall of Fame coach. Though he gave up competing when he began medical school, he made sure to choose a specialty that would allow him to remain connected to competitive sports.
VINCE BLANKENSHIP
Vince Blankenship, a member of the West Virginia athletic training staff since 2014, has served as the assistant athletics director/head athletic trainer for football since 2019. Prior to that, he was an assistant athletic trainer and physical therapist, working primarily with the Mountaineer football and golf programs. He was named athletics rehabilitation specialist in the fall of 2016. Blankenship provides oversight of the athletics medical unit for the football team, including the day-to-day operation of the training room. He supervises the daily care, rehabilitation and prevention of athletic injuries for the football program, as well as supervises the long-term rehabilitation with all other WVU sports on campus. He also will continue his duties as an instructor in the WVU athletic training education program. Prior to coming to WVU, he worked with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions and the University of Georgia football programs. While working towards his doctorate in physical therapy at Georgia Regents University, which he earned in 2013, Blankenship worked as a part-time athletic trainer for University Hospital and Georgia Regents University, covering high school and collegiate sports. Blankenship earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science with an athletic training emphasis at Georgia in 2009. Additionally, he is a Titleist Performance Institute Level II Medical Professional.
He and his wife, Idania, have two sons, Noah and Eli.
Associate Director of Sports Medicine
Zach Foster joined the athletics staff at West Virginia as an assistant athletics trainer in 2019 and was promoted to the associate director of sports medicine in 2020. Foster assists with the day-to-day care, rehabilitation and prevention of athletic injuries for the football and golf programs. He also has duties as an instructor in the WVU athletics training education program. Foster spent the 2019 NFL season as a seasonal athletic trainer with the New England Patriots. He performed orthopedic and general medical evaluations, provided medical coverage for practices, games and free-agent workouts, assisted with concussion testing, collaborated with team physical therapists on rehabilitation programming and on-field progressions, managed injury tracking, patient documentation and athlete participation with NFL Electronic Medical Records, assisted with hiring summer and seasonal athletic training interns, administered and analyzed Functional Movement Screening to develop corrective exercise programs, managed rehabilitation supply inventory among other duties. Additionally, he accompanied the Patriots to Super Bowl LIII.
Prior to his stint in New England, Foster spent a year as part of the postprofessional residency program at The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado. In this role, he worked with orthopedic surgeons in a clinical and surgical practice with specialties that include Sports Medicine, Foot and Ankle, Spine, Wrist and Hand, Total Joint Replacement and Pain Management and assisted with on-site athletic training services for the U.S. Ski Team, Vail Mountain School Athletics, Vail Recreation District and Maverick Sports Promotions.
A native of Roanoke, Virginia, Foster served as an athletic training intern for the Florida State football program (2016-17) and was a graduate assistant with the Pitt football program (2014-16).
He earned his bachelor of science degree in athletics training from Alabama in 2014, before completing his master of science degree in health and rehabilitation sciences with a concentration in sports medicine from Pitt in 2016.
IAN CHENNELL
Assistant Director of Sports Medicine
Ian Chennell joined the WVU Medical Team in March 2022 as the assistant director of sports medicine working with the Mountaineer football team. Chennell assists with the day-to-day care, rehabilitation and prevention of athletic injuries for the football program. He came to WVU after serving as a season athletic trainer for the Dallas Cowboys since May 2020, working practices, games and offseason activities, while providing immediate on-site care. Chennell implemented treatments and rehabs with all athletes with proper return-to-play progressions and protocols. He led and directed training camp packing and student athletic training interns and also oversaw pre-participation physical process and testing for the players. Prior to that, Chennell worked with the Cowboys as a summer athletic training intern in 2019.
While working on his graduate degree in athletic training at Arkansas, Chennell served an athletic training clinical rotation, working with the football team (2018), women’s cross country and track & field teams (2019) and the softball team (2020). He assisted with practices and games, as well as with the evaluation and creation of rehabilitation programs and teh oversight of treatment of the studentathletes.
Chennell graduated from Dayton with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science in 2018 and his master’s degree from Arkansas in 2020.
He is a National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) member, has level 1 training in total motion, a master dry needling certification, Graston technique and is CPR and AED certified. He is healthcare certified by NPI, BOC certified and holds a TDLR LAT License.
Director of Sports Nutrition
Haley Bishop joined the Mountaineer Football staff as the Director of Sports Nutrition in January 2021. At West Virginia, Bishop develops and oversees the nutritional needs for the football student-athletes. She counsels individuals and groups on daily nutrition for performance and health. She researches the most recent scientific evidence and turns it into practical sports nutrition recommendations and tracks and documents the outcomes of nutrition services. She serves as a food and nutrition resource for the program, providing education and maintaining professional competency and skills required for practice.
Bishop develops and counsels in hydration protocols, addresses nutritional challenges to performance, evaluates nutritional supplements, develops all menus and oversees fueling and refueling stations.
A native of Taylorsville, Georgia, Bishop came to West Virginia after spending more than two years as the Director of Sports Nutrition at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.
Prior to that she served as a sports nutrition fellow working with men’s basketball and swimming and diving at Arkansas while assisting with football (2018), an intern for St. Vincent’s Performance Center’s NFL Pre Combine Training Program in 2016, student intern for UAB (2015-16) and a sports nutrition football graduate assistant at Samford (2016-17). Bishop is a registered dietitian and is a board certified specialist in sports dietetics by the commission on dietetic registration. She is ServSafe Food protection manager certified by the National Restaurant Association and is certified in CPR, AED, first aid and blood pathogen certified by the American Heart Association. She holds professional affiliations with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association and is a member of the Women Leaders in Collegiate Sports.
Bishop graduated from Samford with a bachelor of science degree in nutrition and dietetics in 2016 and her master’s degree in nutrition science/dietetic internship in 2017. In 2016, Bishop was selected for the outstanding research award with her abstract being published in the International Society of Sports Nutrition and was the recipient of the outstanding campus and community service award at Samford.
TORI BROWN
Sports Dietitian
Tori Brown joined the Mountaineer Football staff in July 2022, as a sports dietitian, working with the football team. At WVU, Brown assissts the director of sports nutrition with assembling the individual nutrition plans for each player, monitoring their nutritional intake and educating them on proper nutrition methods. She also assists the director in developing all menus and overseeing the fueling and refueling stations. Brown graduated from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in health sciences and recently completed her master’s degree in dietetics and nutrition from Pitt.
While at Pitt, Brown served as a sports nutrition intern working with football in 2018-20 and with basketball in 2020. She oversaw the operation of Fitzgerald and Petersen Sports Complex fueling stations that served 300+ student athletes. She managed a volunteer force of 20+ students to service fueling stations and individual teams in pre, post and during events. She also served as a classroom assistant, teaching undergraduate and graduate exercise physiology classes.
Chris Allen returned to WVU in April 2021, rejoining the Mountaineer strength and conditioning staff as the Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning/Director of Speed Development. At WVU, Allen assists with the design, implementation and conduction of strength and conditioning programs for football student-athletes that will facilitate maximum benefits, including individualized, comprehensive and year-round programs. He helps with the supervision and instruction of the football athletes and coaches in all aspects of weight training, conditioning and nutrition. He assists the director with the coaches and athletic training staff on the overall conditioning, rehabilitation and welfare of the student-athletes.at
Allen returned to West Virginia after spending 2020-21 as the athletic performance coach for football at Indiana. He helped design, develop, coordinate, oversee and implement the strength and conditioning program for the football team.
Prior to that he was the assistant football strength and conditioning coach at Kansas State (2018-20), associate athletics director for strength and conditioning at Arizona (2012-18), where he oversaw 17 of the department’s programs and associate director of strength and conditioning/director of skill development at Michigan (2008-11).
After graduating from West Virginia, he began his career as a strength and conditioning coach at WVU in 2003, where he served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach until 2007, before working until 2008 as the coordinator of strength and conditioning and director of skill development. A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Allen was a sprinter on the WVU track team from 1996-2000. Allen graduated from WVU in 2000 with degrees in accounting and management information systems and earned his master’s degree in athletic coaching education from West Virginia in 2005. Allen holds certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the National Academy of Sports Medicine PES & CES, the National Association of Speed and Explosion, USA Weightlifting Level I Sports and the American Red Cross.
ALEX MITCHELL
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach
Alex Mitchell has been a member of West Virginia football’s strength and conditioning staff since 2016. Mitchell came to West Virginia after serving as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant coach at Ohio University for two years. He assisted with the year- round speed and strength and conditioning program for the football program and worked with the offensive and defensive linemen on developing their hand placement and fighting technique. He also implemented and oversaw the strength and conditioning programs for the swimming and diving, men’s and women’s golf, cheerleading and club ice hockey teams. He assisted with the implementation of the strength and conditioning plans for the wrestling, field hockey, women’s basketball and women’s soccer teams.
Mitchell served as a student assistant coach and intern with the Ohio football program for a semester before becoming a graduate assistant. He assisted the offensive line coach with position techniques and schemes, assisted with program operations and with the implementation of the football strength and conditioning program. Mitchell, a certified National Strength Coaches’ Association strength and conditioning coach, graduated from Ohio with a bachelor’s degree in communications in 2012 and earned his master’s degree in recreation and sport science in 2014. He was a two-year letterman on the offensive line for coach Frank Solich at OU, helping lead the Bobcats to two straight bowl appearances. Prior to OU, he played for coach Dave Hoover at Victor Valley College in Victorville, California.
Mitchell and his wife, Jenna, were married in July 2021.
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach
Nick Meadows is an assistant strength and conditioning coach on the Mountaineer Football coaching staff. He assists the strength and conditioning staff with the design and implementation of the strength and conditioning plans for the football student-athletes to help improve their strength, performance, conditioning and injury prevention. Previously, Meadows served as a graduate assistant and intern on the strength and conditioning staff, working directly with football. He assisted with the implementation of individual workout plans for the student-athletes and helped oversee team activities and functions as a member of the staff. He completed the requirements for Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) in 2018.
Meadows was a member of the Mountaineer Football program from 2013-17 and was the starting long snapper handling all the field goal, punting and extra point snapping duties during the 2016-17 seasons. He was a two-time Academic All-Big 12 team member, including first team selection as a senior and was a member of the Big 12 Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll.
The 2017 Tommy Nickolich Award winner, signifying the program’s top walkon, Meadows graduated from West Virginia with his bachelor’s degree in sport and exercise psychology in 2017 and his master’s degree in sport and coaching education with an emphasis in performance coaching in 2018.
NOLAN HARVATH
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach
Nolan Harvath joined the Mountaineer football strength and conditioning staff in spring 2022 as the assistant strength and conditioning coach. He initially joined the Mountaineer strength and conditioning staff in December 2020, working with the baseball and golf programs. He came to WVU after a three-year stint as the director of strength and conditioning at Glenville State from 2018-20. He also was assistant athletic director at GSC from 2019-20. With the Pioneers, Harvath was responsible for all strength and conditioning activities within the athletic department, including program design and implementation. Additionally, he oversaw all strength, speed, power and ability testing, as well as budgeting and fundraising activities related to strength and conditioning.
Prior to his time in Glenville, Harvath was a strength and conditioning intern at WVU, working primarily with the football team. He assisted during team lifts and runs and was responsible for setting up and breaking down all team strength and conditioning activities. Harvath also served as a consultant for the University of Charleston baseball team from 2016-20, designing all strength and conditioning programs for the team. He also tracked, monitored and assessed all data obtained from each macrocycle.
In the prep ranks, Harvath also spent time as a strength and conditioning coach at East Fairmont High (2016-17) and Morgantown High (2013-15). A native of Fairmont, West Virginia, Harvath graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in exercise science before earning his master’s in coaching and sport education from WVU.
BRITTNEY O’DELL
As WVU’s associate athletics director for student-athlete development, Brittney O’Dell administers the operation of the student-athlete development division. The academic support unit is comprised of 14 full-time staff members, seven part-time employees, 18 varsity sports and approximately 500 student-athletes. Her duties include assuring a commitment to academic excellence, while supporting the educational and personal growth of all student-athletes. In addition, O’Dell oversees the StudentAthlete Enhancement unit, which provides life skills and career development opportunities for student-athletes to ensure success beyond graduation.
At WVU, O’Dell also serves as the sport administrator for the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs. O’Dell also is responsible for providing operational oversight for the Sports Psychology and Mental Health Counseling division of the department, which employs a director of clinical and sports psychology and a clinical and sports behavioral health therapist. She collaborates with WVU’s Carruth Center for Psychological and Psychiatric Services to ensure the athletics department is facilitating services to student-athletes in support of their mental health and sport performance.
O’Dell is the primary liaison to many academic units and colleges across the University. She has regular communication with the Provost’s office, Admissions office, Registrar’s office, Accessibility Services office and various other campus departments to ensure the best services and resources are provided for studentathletes through effective collaboration.
O’Dell has been a member of the Mountaineer student-athlete development staff since 2015. She arrived in Morgantown as the assistant director, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the football academic support unit. After a year in that role, she was promoted to associate director, where she served for two years before assuming the assistant athletics director of student-athlete development duties in 2018 where she worked until her recent promotion in July 2021
O’Dell is still involved in the academic operations of football, a role she previously served in for the past six years. Under her charge, the football team has graduated 100% of its players over the last three years, earned a program high single-year APR score of 990 in 2019-2020, and achieved a record-high GPA in any regular term of 3.11 in the Spring 2021 semester. She is passionate about education and providing intentional programing to student-athletes to ensure their success well beyond their years at WVU.
O’Dell came to West Virginia after serving as a coordinator of academic advising services at the University of Central Florida for four years (2011-15) and was a graduate assistant there for two years prior (2009-2011). She had direct oversight of academic advising, monitoring player progress, creating individualized academic plans, coordinating tutoring needs and ensuring academic success for the UCF defensive football players and the women’s golf team.
Her responsibilities also included overseeing the academic mentoring program, where she was responsible for hiring graduate level academic mentors to help student-athletes develop time management and organizational skills, while also monitoring and tracking their academic progress. She also served as a learning specialist with at-risk student-athletes during a portion of her time at UCF and was the liaison with the Office of Student Accessibility Services, where she coordinated full-battery testing, attended intake appointments, and helped to facilitate the accommodation process for registered student-athletes.
O’Dell also worked with women’s basketball, women’s soccer, softball, and rowing during her time at UCF. She served on multiple campus committees within the student development and enrollment services department and developed an academic mentoring program and training database for student-athletes. O’Dell was also an adjunct professor in the College of Education where she taught a freshman seminar course that focused on developing strategies for success in college.
She is a member of the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals. She is nationally certified, served on the 2014 regional planning committee, and also presented at the organization’s national conference in June 2011 for winning the model practice program award at UCF. Additionally, she regularly attends NCAA’s Regional Rules along with the Big 12 summer workshop seminars to stay well-informed of all national and conference legislation updates.
O’Dell is a native of Orlando, Florida. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in family and child sciences with a concentration in psychology and counseling from Florida State University (FSU) in 2008. She earned her master’s degree in educational leadership from UCF in 2011.
DR. ADRIAN FERRERA
Director of Clinical and Sport Psychology
Dr. Adrian Ferrera joined the Mountaineer Athletics staff in August 2021 as the director of clinical and sport psychology. The unit provides counseling and performance enhancement services for student-athletes, clinical services, including short-term individual counseling, group counseling crisis intervention, psychoeducation workshops, risk assessment and reduction intervention for student-athletes and serves as an instructional and educational role for the student-athletes to promote the areas of student-athlete health, resilience and wellness. Ferrera returned to WVU after serving as the director of counseling and sport psychology at Auburn from 2018-21. There, he provided individual and group therapy, mental health crisis intervention, consultation and outreach on clinical issues relevant to student-athletes including athletic identity, transition out of college, interpersonal relationships, cultural identity and substance abuse. He developed programs and policies for identification and treatment of emotional, social and behavioral concerns affecting transitions into college life. He also developed personalized counseling and sport psychology services to enhance the personal, social, emotional, academic and athletic success. He supervised members of the counseling and sport psychology staff and was a member of the sexual violence and prevention committee, the Auburn Prevention Coalition, Athletics Culture Committee, A Sound Mind Committee and the inclusion and race task force.
Over the course of his career, he spent time as the associate director of counseling and sport psychology at the University of Washington, was a cognitive performance coach for the United States Army Special Operations soldiers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, spent a three-year stint as a career services counselor and also as a sport psychology consultant for three years. He began his career at Northeastern University as a student-athlete mentor. Ferrera is a licensed professional counselor and is a certified mental performance consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. He has lectured at universities in the United States and internationally, has published professional journal articles and made numerous professional presentations.
A native of Southern California, Ferrera earned his bachelor’s degree from University of La Verne in La Verne, California, in 2006, a master’s degree in counseling with a sport psychology specialization from Boston University in 2007, a second master’s degree in counseling from WVU in 2014 and his doctorate in sport and exercise psychology from WVU in 2014.
Ferrara, and his wife, Pascha Adamo, have two children, Sophia and Judah, along with the family dog, Roxy.
ZACH SEGER
Associate Director Student-Athlete Development
Zach Seger has been of a member of West Virginia’s student-athlete development department, working with the Mountaineer football program since 2016. He started as an assistant academic coordinator for football before becoming an academic counselor in 2017. In 2019, Seger was promoted to Assistant Director for Student-Athlete Development and to Associate Director of Student-Athlete Development in 2022. Seger oversees the day-to-day operations of the football academic unit. He provides academic support and guidance to football studentathletes, to help them succeed in the classroom, maintain eligibility and ultimately help them earn their degree.
As part of the student-athlete development unit, he maintains accurate records and knowledge of student-athlete academic schedules to notify coaches regarding classes, tests, grades and study sessions. He also maintains constant communications with professors, advisors and other on-campus units to ensure the success of football student athletes.
Prior to being named Assistant Director, Seger was responsible for coordinating all tutoring and textbook distribution at the Reynolds Family Academic Center. He organized and implemented academic programs that ensures their growth in the classroom, in the community and on an individual level. Serving as the assistant academic coordinator for football at WVU, he assisted with the organization and implementation of academic support programs and advised student-athletes in selecting areas of study and organizing their individual schedules. He worked with at-risk student athletes, facilitated daily tutor schedules and monitored study hall.
The Windber, Pennsylvania, native graduated cum laude from West Virginia University in 2014 with a degree in sport management. He earned his master’s degree in Higher Education Management from Pitt in 2016.
LUCY MARIANI
Academic Counselor
Lucy Mariani joined the Mountaineer student-athlete development staff as a football academic counselor in 2021.
Mariani advises football student-athletes with their schedules and their majors, monitors and tracks academics and assists with the daily tutor operations.
Mariani came to West Virginia after serving as the associate director of student-athlete services at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan (202021). She was responsible for and tracked the academic
