The search for a new Wisconsin athletic director is fully underway. It's been radio silent the last few weeks on replacing Chris McIntosh, and it turns out it was for good reason. The interim president, Eric Wilcots, was putting together a search team to actually make the process more well-rounded, thought-through, and formal. Wilcots will not be making the decision himself; he's now got a cream of the crop committee to lean on.
That committee is full of remarkable names and people who truly have buy-in with the process, as well as people who bring a diversity of backgrounds to the committee. The name that will catch the eyes of Wisconsin fans is Michael Finley, a former basketball star and now part of the Dallas Mavericks' office. There's also Chris Ballard, who is the GM for the Colts and is used to making crucial decisions and hires regarding athletics. However, the other names on the list are intriguing too.
Wisconsin will use a search firm and a committee that includes Colts GM Chris Ballard and former Badgers basketball star Michael Finley to identify the school’s next athletics director. pic.twitter.com/46dK5RlLel
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) May 12, 2026
Wisconsin has a "who's who" of people in the search committee for the next athletic director
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Alongside Michael Finley and Chris Ballard, the names become a bit less recognizable, but there are still some "legends," if you will. People who bring a lot to the table. Though one other true Wisconsin sports legend is Meghan Duggan, a former women's hockey player for Wisconsin, who is now the director of player development for the New Jersey Devils of the NHL.
Other former sports players who will help make sure the athletic director is well-rounded include Elzie Higginbottom (track and field) and Marija Pientka (tennis). Both are very well accomplished in their fields after Wisconsin and continue to stay connected through alumni relations.
The rest of the search committee is rounded out by other graduates of Wisconsin, but they have expertise to bring to the table. Rob Cramer is the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration; Michael Shannon is the Co-Founder and former CEO of KSL Capital Partners; and William Smith is a current student-athlete who plays for the men's soccer team. He also functions on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
The chair of the committee will be Lauren Bishop, who, according to the Wisconsin website, is "an associate professor in the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who serves as one of the university's Faculty Athletics Representatives to the Big Ten Conference and NCAA." Bishop will be reporting to the Wilcots.
The timeline is urgent and the committee tells fans that Wisconsin is serious
This group of people that has been assembled certainly tells a Wisconsin fan one thing clearly and loudly. WIsconsin does not want to screw this up. There is awareness that this is a high-stakes hire and the decision cannot be taken willy-nilly or be a throw-away decision. This committee is responsible for bringing the best man or woman for the job to help Wisconsin get to the next level of athletics across all the sports programs.
There was also an announcement, along with this list of committee members, that the team hopes to have a hire in place "this summer." Whether that means the end of the summer or the beginning or somewhere in the middle, the timeline is urgent enough. That's also great news.
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