Badgers start search for next AD

MADISON, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 22: Fans rush the field after the Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini at Camp Randall Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Wisconsin Badgers announced on Tuesday morning that they have formally launched the search for their next Athletic Director.

Interim Chancellor Eric Wilcots, who is currently in place for outgoing Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, is leading the search for the next Athletic Director.

“Wisconsin Athletics plays a vital role in the life of our campus and our community; its success matters,” Wilcots said in a statement.

“The director of athletics will lead us into a new era of Wisconsin Athletics during a transformational time in college athletics,” he added. “We will be thoughtful, deliberate, and open-minded as we embark on this search to identify an individual who shares our values and vision and who will move our athletics program forward.”

Wilcots will be advised by a nine-member committee, chaired by Lauren Bishop, an associate professor in the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Bishop serves as one of the university’s Faculty Athletics Representatives to the Big Ten Conference and NCAA.

“I’m grateful and humbled to be a part of such an important search at the university, one that will shape the future of Wisconsin Athletics,” Bishop added in the statement. “It is vitally important we hear from a variety of voices on the qualities we should be seeking in a new director. To achieve that goal, the committee will spend the next several weeks seeking feedback from student-athletes, athletic department coaches and staff, alumni, and other stakeholders.”

The other members of the search committee include the following:

Chris Ballard, General Manager, Indianapolis Colts and 1993 UW–Madison alumnus and former UW student-athlete in football

Rob Cramer, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration and 1992 UW-Madison alumnus

Meghan Duggan, Director of Player Development, New Jersey Devils, UW-Madison 2011 alumna and former UW student-athlete in women’s hockey

Michael Finley, Dallas Mavericks organization, 2014 UW–Madison alumnus and former UW student-athlete in men’s basketball

Elzie Higginbottom, President, East Lake Management & Development Corp., UW–Madison 1965 alumnus and former UW student-athlete in men’s track and field, member of the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association Board

Marija Pientka, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Sports Administration, Wisconsin Athletics, UW-Madison 1995 alumna and former UW student-athlete in women’s tennis

Michael Shannon, Co-Founder and former Chairman/CEO, KSL Capital Partners and 1980 UW–Madison alumnus, member of the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association Board

William Smith, Current Men’s Soccer student-athlete, President/Chair, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)

According to the school, the director of athletics will report directly to interim Chancellor Wilcots, serving on his executive committee and providing oversight for all aspects of the university’s varsity athletic programs, with a strong emphasis on student-athlete health, well-being, academic success, finance and facilities, fundraising, and excellence in competition.

The university also expects a new director of athletics to begin this summer.