After a nationwide search, The University of Montana will conduct campus interviews and public forums with four finalists for its director of athletics position.

The four finalists are Carl Clapp, associate athletics director and interim athletics director at the University of Hawaii at Manoa; Kent Haslam, associate athletic director for development with the UM Foundation; John Johnson, senior associate director of athletics at Washington State University; and Chris King, director of intercollegiate athletics at the University of Texas-Pan American.

“We had a strong pool of candidates during this national search,” said UM President Royce Engstrom, who chaired the search committee. “These four finalists are passionate about their work and exhibit the strong leadership skills we need to take Grizzly Athletics to an even higher level of excellence.”

The four candidates each will speak at a forum where members of the public will have opportunities to question them and provide feedback to the search committee. Each forum will run from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. in the University Center Theater. The schedule follows:

Carl Clapp – Monday, Aug. 27

John Johnson – Wednesday, Aug. 29

Kent Haslam – Thursday, Aug. 30

Chris King, Friday Aug. 31

Clapp has worked at the University of Hawaii at Manoa since 2006. Since 1992, he also has served in athletics director positions at Avila College in Kansas City, the University of Redlands in California and St. Mary’s College of California. He did postgraduate work at the University of Kansas and holds a master’s degree in science, exercise and sports sciences (athletic administration emphasis) from the University of Arizona.

Johnson has served in his current role at WSU since 2004. He was senior associate director and athletics director at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, from 1997 to 2004. From 1984 to 1997, he served multiple roles at Eastern Washington University, including director of intercollegiate athletics from 1993 to 1997. He holds a master’s in business administration from EWU.

Haslam has served in his current role with the UM Foundation since 2006. From 2000 to 2006 he was associate athletic director for external operations at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. From 1998 to 2002, he was manager of media communications for the Salt Lake Olympic Organization Committee and Olympic news service supervisor for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. He holds a master’s degree in education (administration emphasis) from NAU.

King has served in his current role with UTPA in Edinburg, Texas, since 2009. From 2002 to September 2009, he was associate athletic director for compliance and associate athletic director for administration at the University of Alabama, and he held similar posts at the University of Central Florida from 1999 to 2001. He also worked at Liberty University in Virginia, Campbell University in North Carolina and Robert Morris College in Pennsylvania. He holds an education master’s degree (concentrated in educational leadership and supervision) from Campbell.

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