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Eastern Washington University Football

Lynn Hickey, Vince Otoupal named finalists for Eastern Washington athletic director job

Eastern Washington’s finalists for athletic director include Utah Valley University A.D. Vince Otoupal, left, and EWU interim athletic director Lynn Hickey. (Courtesy)

From dozens of applicants, two finalists remain in the running to be the next director of athletics at Eastern Washington University, the school announced Friday.

EWU Interim athletic director Lynn Hickey and Utah Valley University athletic director Vince Otoupal will meet the public next week in forums that will help the school choose a successor to Bill Chaves.

Hickey and Otoupal were selected from 50 candidates by a search committee co-chaired by EWU Board of Trustees member Judge James Murphy and Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs Scott Gordon.

“The committee is impressed not only with the quality and experience of our two finalists, but with the strength of the overall applicant pool for this highly sought-after position,” Gordon said. “We are excited for people to meet these two candidates in person.”

That will happen in public forums scheduled for next week. The finalists will meet with campus constituent groups and take part in open public forums before the selection process is complete.

Otoupal’s public forum is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the EWU Center on the Spokane Campus (SEWC), Room 122. Hickey will do the same on Thursday, also at 5:30 p.m.

Hickey has served as interim athletic director at Eastern since February. Her appointment came after an 18-year stint as associate vice president and athletic director at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

During her tenuue, UTSA added Football Bowl Subdivision football and women’s soccer and golf. Prior to that, Hickey served as senior athletic director and senior woman administrator at Texas A&M.

Otoupal, a Seattle native who played linebacker at Stanford, has led Utah Valley’s athletic department since 2013, when the school transitioned to the Western Athletic Conference.

Since then, the department has set revenue records for money raised.

From 2008 to 2013, Otoupal served as athletic director at California State University, Monterey Bay. He also held multiple positions at Stanford.

The two finalists were chosen from six candidates interviewed by the search committee.

The new athletic director is expected to be named by the end of April.