<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3L5ut0_0vjVC1mo00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3L5ut0_0vjVC1mo00" width="1311" height="1171" ></figure>It didn’t take former Pitt Director of Athletics Heather Lyke long to find a new job.LEAD1, an advocacy group that represents the athletics directors of the 134 member schools of the FBS, announced Wednesday the organization is changing its name to FBS Athletics Directors Association and naming Lyke its acting president and CEO.It’s a major move for Lyke, who will remain heavily involved with college athletics at the highest level. Tom McMillen, who has served as the president and CEO since 2015, is stepping down from the position on Sept. 30.“It is an honor and a privilege to step into this role and to serve an organization that has meant so much to me and so many other athletics directors,” Lyke said in the release. “While I look forward to once again serving on a campus, I will pour my heart and soul into the Association to ensure a smooth transition within the NACDA family. While we are all competitors, the respect I have for my colleagues at our 134 member institutions is deep and the relationships we have formed are genuine. I am humbled by their trust in me to help lead our Association during this transition.”The FBS Athletics Directors Association’s mission is to, “bring together FBS athletics directors to advocate and drive results on key issues that focus on the success of student-athletes and the advancement of college athletics.”Lyke was fired by Pitt Chancellor Joan Gabel earlier this month after seven years at the helm of Pitt athletics. Her contract was up later this year, but Gabel wanted to athletic department to move in a new direction immediately.“Today, I informed University of Pittsburgh director of athletics, Heather Lyke, that I was making a change in the leadership of our athletics program,” Pitt Chancellor Joan Gabel said in a statement.“Upon her arrival at Pitt in 2017, Heather guided our program through a unique period in college athletics and we thank her for her leadership during that time. Her tenure included successes from football’s first ACC championship to volleyball reaching its first-ever NCAA Final Four, while representing the University at the conference and national level.“However, as we enter a new era in college athletics, one that seems to change by the day, we need a new vision and a leader of our athletic department. On behalf of all Panthers, we wish Heather and her family the best with appreciation for their service to Pitt.”Lyke did a lot of great things for Pitt. She raised the floor for Pitt athletics, bringing relevancy to the department that suffered in the years before she arrived, evidenced by two Pitt programs ranked No. 1 in the country.The NACDA awarded her the 2023 Cushman &amp; Wakefield AD of the Year, and she was a finalist for the Sports Business Journal Athletic Director of the Year award. In 2022-23 alone, Pitt hit its highest points total in the LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup and football, men’s basketball, volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer and wrestling all experienced high levels of success.Pitt is currently in the midst of a national search to find Lyke’s successor, announcing the formation of an advisory search committee on Sept. 12.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Former Pitt Director of Athletics Heather Lyke Lands New Job

It didn’t take former Pitt Director of Athletics Heather Lyke long to find a new job. LEAD1, an advocacy group that represents the athletics directors of the 134 member schools of the FBS, announced Wednesday the organization is changing its name to FBS Athletics Directors Association and naming Lyke its acting president and CEO.