Application materials submitted by the candidates and comment forms are now available at: http://www.ewu.edu/x51374.xml

July 23, 2007

The field of candidates for a new athletic director at Eastern Washington University has been narrowed to four, interim athletic director Michael Westfall announced Monday (July 23).

The finalists include Robert Chichester, the athletic director at the University of California Irvine for the past five years. The other three are currently associate athletic directors at their current schools: Bill Chaves (Baylor University), Peter "Mac" Hart (Providence College) and Robert Minnix (Florida State University). Minnix is a graduate of Lewis & Clark High School in Spokane, Wash.

The selection of the finalists is the result of a month-long process started in June by the consultant EWU hired, Bill Carr of Carr Sports Associates. Carr conducted an on-site analysis of Eastern's athletic department prior to the selection process of the candidates. Eastern hopes to have a new athletic director named when the 2007-08 academic year begins in September.

On-campus interviews are expected to take place July 26-Aug. 6. Besides interviews with EWU personnel, each candidate will be available to meet with the public at an open forum on campus. Dates and times have been set as follows:

• Mr. Robert Minnix - 7/27/2007 at 3:00 pm in Showalter Hall 109
• Mr. Bill Chaves - 8/2/2007 at 3:00 pm in Showalter Hall 109
• Mr. Peter "Mac" Hart - 8/3/2007 at 3:00 pm in Showalter Hall 109
• Mr. Robert Chichester - 8/6/2007 at 3:00 pm in Showalter Hall 109

The analysis portion of Carr's search helped identify the department's critical issues and created the position profile. He then identified and evaluated candidates and is now highly involved with the interviewing process. He will help negotiate the terms of the contract once a candidate has been selected.

Carr is a graduate of the University of Florida and has more than 35 years of experience in collegiate athletics. In 1979, he became the youngest athletic director in the country when he took that position at his alma mater. He later became athletic director at Houston and was instrumental in Houston's move from the Southwest Conference to Conference USA. He also served on the NCAA Division I-A Management Council.

Westfall, EWU's vice president for university advancement, was named as interim athletic director on March 20. The EWU Athletics Department oversees 14 Division I intercollegiate sports programs, six for men and eight for women.

Media inquires or questions regarding the search process can be directed to search committee chair David Rey at 509-359-7393 or drey@mail.ewu.edu

Bill Chaves - Baylor University, associate athletic director
Chaves has been at Baylor since 2004 as associate athletic director for external affairs. Chaves was also at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst as an assistant athletic director and at Northeastern as director of external affairs for the athletic department. From 1999-2001 he was an assistant athletic director at Northern Colorado, which became a member of the Big Sky Conference in the 2006-07 school year. He was also sports information director from 1990-95 at Quinnipiac College in Hamden, Conn. Chaves received his bachelor's degree in sports administration from Saint Thomas University in Miami, Fla., in 1988. He received the first of two master's degrees from Oklahoma State in 1991 in health, physical education and leisure. He earned a second master's degree in sport management in 1999 from Massachusetts. His last name is pronounced "Chayves."

Robert Chichester - University of California Irvine, athletic director
Chichester has been athletic director at UC Irvine since 2002, overseeing a department with 23 sports and more than 500 student-athletes competing primarily in the Big West Conference. He resigned his post on May 31 and will continue working at UCI through July. Prior to that, he served as senior associate athletic director at the University of Colorado. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1979 from Occidental College and his juris doctorate from Colorado in 1984. He also served in the U.S. Air Force and worked two years as an attorney for the Northrop Corporation and as legal counsel for five years with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. His last name is pronounced "Chi-chester."

Peter "Mac" Hart - Providence College, associate athletic director
Hart became the Providence College assistant athletic director for compliance and finance in August 2003. Previously, he spent two years as athletic director at Albion College in Albion, Mich., and was senior associate athletic director at the University of Hartford from 1999-2001. His stops also included a job as assistant athletic director for development at the University of Utah, and similar positions at the University of Connecticut and College of William and Mary. He began his career in athletics as an assistant athletic director at Dartmouth College in 1985. He received his bachelor's degree in political science from Northwestern University in 1981 and his master's degree in sports studies from Massachusetts in 1984. He is also expected to receive his master's of business administration from Providence in July 2007.

Robert Minnix - Florida State University, senior associate AD
A native of Spokane, Wash., Minnix is a graduate of Lewis & Clark High School. He went on to play at Notre Dame where he played in back-to-back Cotton Bowls (1970-71) and led the Fighting Irish in rushing as a senior in 1971. He received his bachelor's degree from Notre Dame in 1972 and then attended law school at the University of Washington where he received his juris doctorate degree in 1975. He began a long career working for the NCAA in 1975, including as the director of enforcement. He left that post in August 1995 to become associate athletic director for compliance at Florida State University.