Last Thursday, American University ended its nearly six-month national search and named Keith Gill, senior associate athletics director at the University of Oklahoma, its new director of athletics and recreation.
Gill, whose newly-appointed position becomes effective June 1, will replace former AU director of athletics Dr. Joni Comstock, who left the university in September 2006 to become vice president for championships at the NCAA.
"I feel great, it's very exciting," Gill said of his appointment. "With each passing day, I get more and more excited. I had a great week last week in terms of talking to staff members, and met a lot of people I share values with and who have a great energy."
Gill has previously worked as an assistant athletic director at Vanderbilt, where he worked closely with the athletic director to create academic and athletic initiatives for the university's 16 varsity teams in 1999. He left the university a year later, when he joined the NCAA and served as their director of membership services from 2000 to 2004.
At the University of Oklahoma, where he earned his master's and has worked since 2004, Gill supervises budget, fundraising, personnel and student-athlete issues, as well as handling everyday functions for the men's basketball, women's soccer and baseball teams.
Although AU doesn't carry the same athletic prestige as his current university, Gill hopes to change that by using administrative and student input to revamp the school's athletic image.
"I want to take all of those views of what athletics should be and understand everyone's vision so we can try to make it into something everyone can look to and be a part of," Gill said. "It really is about the students, and I want them to feel like it's a program they want to support."
Gill, who was a four-year letterman in football en route to earning his bachelor's at Duke University, said he was drawn to AU because he recognized values that were reminiscent of his alma mater.
"The opportunity to be an AD in a place that has rigorous academic standards was one of the initial draws," Gill said of the position. "It reminded me of Duke, in that it had similarities with a strong, liberal education combined with a 'work hard, play hard' mentality."
Though Gill comes to AU with a lengthy resume, he stresses that his experience isn't the key ingredient in helping to push the athletics department in a new direction.
"It's really important to listen and get a sense of people who've been there," he said. "I want to talk to folks to see what they think the needs are and tailor a vision that encompasses all of their views."
"What I hope to do is raise visibility," Gill said. "I want to build a program that everyone on campus is proud of and wants to come out and support"
