Miami Ohio University Athletics
Miami University Athletics Announces Staff Hirings
1/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
Jan. 7, 2008
OXFORD, Ohio - Miami University has added four key members to its athletics administrative staff, Director of Athletics Brad Bates announced today.
Jennie Schuermann Gilbert, Keanah Smith, Jude Killy and Alexandra Weikel are new additions to the RedHawk administrative team.
Jennie Schuermann Gilbert
Gilbert, who earned a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1988 from Miami, fills the role previously held by Karen Womack, who retired in 2007. Gilbert was a volleyball letter winner from 1985-87 for Coach Carolyn Condit. She assumed duties at her alma mater in November as Associate Athletic Director and Senior Women's Administrator. Gilbert will be the sport administrator for four RedHawk teams, including volleyball, women's swimming and diving, women's cross country, and women's track and field.
For the past four years, she has been employed by Progressive Auto Insurance in Detroit, initially as a direct sales team leader and most recently as a medical claims team leader.
From 1994-2003, Gilbert was head volleyball coach at Tennessee Tech University. Her 1997 squad was the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament champion and an NCAA Tournament participant. That performance earned her OVC Coach of the Year honors. Five different Golden Eagle teams earned a regional ranking under Gilbert's direction. In 1997 and in 2001, Tennessee Tech's squad earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association's Team Academic Award. Those teams' grade point averages ranked second in the nation at 3.55. One hundred percent of her players who completed their eligibility earned their degrees.
Gilbert was assistant volleyball coach at Wright State University from 1992-1994, helping the Raiders earn a berth in the 1993 NIVC Tournament.
She was a graduate assistant at Eastern Kentucky University during the 1991-92 season, helping guide the Colonels to the OVC title. During her time at EKU, Gilbert earned a master's degree in sports administration and physical education.
From 1988-1991, she was assistant volleyball coach at the University of Cincinnati. The 1988 Bearcats were Metro Conference champs.
Gilbert's family includes her husband, Ernie, and her nine-year-old daughter, Aislyn.
"The intellectual and competitive success of Jennie Schuermann Gilbert's student-athletes as a Division I head and assistant coach blend perfectly with her corporate experience to provide Miami University with a strong, knowledgeable and extraordinary leader," said Bates. "We are very pleased to welcome Jennie back to her alma mater. Generations of future Miami students will benefit from her contributions and influence."
Keanah Smith
Smith, a Miami graduate, has been MU's Assistant Athletic Director for Event Operations since August. She replaced Mike Watson, the new athletic director at Saginaw Valley State (Mich.).
She came to Oxford after six years as Assistant Director of Championships for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). During her time in Indianapolis, Smith served as the staff liaison for the championships of Division I indoor and outdoor track and field, Division III women's volleyball, track and field, and volleyball, Division II women's lacrosse and softball, and for national collegiate women's bowling and men's and women's fencing. Her responsibilities also included development and distribution of championship materials, coordinating the selection and assignment of team, sites and officials, conducting site surveys, coordinating the participant awards program, and serving as the Chair of numerous committees.
From 1999-2001, Smith was Assistant Director of Championships at Conference USA, acting as the primary championship administrator for six different sports and providing assistance for three other sports. She also served as the primary liaison for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and CHAMPS/Life Skills programs, and as the information technology administrator.
Smith was Assistant Coordinator of Academic Services for Student-Athletes at Appalachian State University from 1997-1999. Included among her responsibilities were academic advising and serving as chair of the Athletic Council's Minority Enhancement Committee.
Smith also has been Coordinator of Training for the Indiana Special Olympics (1995-1996), an administrator for the Reggie Miller Basketball Camp (1995), and a community relations intern for the Indiana Pacers.
Smith earned a bachelor's and a master's degree from Miami University in sport organization (1994 and 1995), serving as a graduate assistant for the men's basketball team. She resides in Hamilton, Ohio with her dogs, Kody and Kassie.
"Because of her extensive experience running national championships for the NCAA, Keanah brings a standard and expectation of exceptional service to our operations and events that will impress, inspire and compel those who visit Miami's beautiful campus to return often," said Bates. "Keanah has two Miami degrees and a magnificant national reputation, and we are honored to bring her back to the Miami family."
Killy, a native of Oxford, begins his new duties as Miami's Associate AD for Athletic Development on January 7.
He comes from the University of Pittsburgh athletic department where he directed and managed the Panthers' Annual Fund. Killy and his staff raised a school-record amount in 2006-07, an increase of more than 76 percent in three years. He personally solicited annual and capital gifts, maintaining a portfolio of more than 200 Panther donors and prospects.
Prior to that position, Killy was Pittsburgh's Director of Athletic Development Operations from 2002-2005, overseeing the school's Varsity Letter Club and its "Quest for Excellence" Capital Campaign.
From 1998-2002, Killy was assistant administsrator of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). His responsibilities included meeting and event planning, serving as the administrator for several professional associations--including the National Association of Athletic Development Directors--and editorial responsibilities for NACDA's Athletics Administration magazine.
A member of John Carroll University's varsity soccer team, Killy graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications in 1995. In 1998, he earned a Master's of Sports Administration degree from Ohio University.
"We are very excited to have an individual with the impressive experience of Jude leading our development operations," said Bates. "The magnitude of his experience at the University of Pittsburgh during a time of significant growth in their fund raising is reflective of his intelligence, work ethic and skills, and we look forward to realizing our lofty goals under his leadership. Jude has a contagious compasion for Miami that is rooted in his upbringing and we are pleased to have him return to his hometown."
Alexandra Weikel
Weikel, who assumed duties in December as Miami's Director of Ticket Operations, was Olympic Sports Coordinator for Ticketing and Marketing at the University of Michigan.
During her two-year stint in Ann Arbor, she managed all ticket operations for volleyball, wrestling, women's basketball, men's and women's gymnastics, softball and baseball, and also assisted in the ticketing for all other Wolverine sports. Additionally, Weikel was a member of Michigan's marketing staff, heading up the efforts for men's soccer, wrestling and softball.
From 2005-2006, Weikel was director of ticket sales and operations for Drake University's athletic department. Responsibilities included ticketing for all Bulldog men's and women's teams and the Drake Relays. She was promoted to that position after one year as Drake's assistant ticket director.
Weikel's other previous positions include interning at Vanderbilt University (2003) and two years as sports information assistant at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa.
She earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and business administration from Graceland in 2004 and a master's degree in business administration from Drake in 2006.
Weikel and her husband, Chad, reside in Oxford.
"Alex has quickly gained the knowledge and experience to label her as a rising star in our profession," said Bates. "Her educational and professional experiences at Vanderbilt University, Drake University and the University of Michigan have prepared her well to assume the leadership of this critical external position. Alex's marketing background also makes her an excellent fit for our future vision of customer service, event promotions and ticketing."
