FaithSearch Partners Seeking Athletic Director for King University
April 17, 2025 – FaithSearch Partners (FSP) is leading the athletic director search for King University. Brian Jensen and Andrew Westmoreland are leading the assignment. The next athletic director at King University will be a visionary and strategic leader responsible for shaping the future vision and strategic direction of its comprehensive intercollegiate athletic program. Leading 29 competitive programs at the NCAA Division II level, the athletic director will report directly to the president and be instrumental in establishing an environment to ensure that all student-athletes can flourish spiritually, academically, emotionally, and competitively.
King University is a distinguished comprehensive Christian institution located in Bristol, Tennessee. The university offers students access to more than 90 programs through five academic schools. Additionally, King University boasts a robust athletic presence with 29 competitive sports programs participating at the NCAA Division II level.
FaithSearch Partners is focused exclusively on serving faith-based hospitals, healthcare organizations, non-profits, ministries, churches, educational institutions, and faith-oriented businesses. They have supported search processes for institutions like Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Roberts Wesleyan University, Seattle Pacific University, Biola University, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Moody Bible Institute, and Northern Seminary. The firm is based in Dallas with locations in Denver; Houston; Los Angeles; Orlando, FL; Nashville, TN; Asheville, NC; and Tyler, TX.
Ed Fry is the president of FaithSearch Partners. Since 1990, he has assisted faith-based organization boards and executive teams in securing mission-minded leaders. Mr. Fry has served as a vice president and partner of Witt/Kieffer, and launched the faith-based practice at Russell Reynolds Associates.
As senior vice president of higher education, Mr. Westmoreland leads FaithSearch Partners higher education service line, which has been serving academic institutions for nearly 15 years. His career in higher education spans 42 years including two college presidencies and hundreds of executive searches. In addition to his role with FaithSearch, Westmoreland serves as an at-large member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Board of Directors.
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Throughout his career, Mr. Jensen has been committed to serving and collaborating with Christian organizations. He began at North Central University, where he discovered the profound impact of faith-based institutions on students’ lives while working within the student life division. Mr. Jensen then spent 12 years serving at Geneva College before ending his tenure as the VP of student development, where he provided strategic leadership for student programs, services, and athletics. Prior to joining FaithSearch Partners, he spent five years as a consultant, guiding Christian organizations through staffing challenges and organizational development.
Today’s Athletic Directors
Athletic directors are playing an increasingly vital role at colleges and universities across the country. With the expansion of athletic departments and, for the larger schools, the infusion of big dollars for sports, more schools have turned to search firms when such positions become open. Too much is at stake, they feel, to go at it alone. What’s more, the AD job has come to demand greater business and management skills than the typical academic search.
“The AD today is the CEO of athletic operations at a college,” said John Lahey, current president at Quinnipiac University. “Thirty to 40 years ago, you were more likely to see former coaches and athletes promoted into those roles as a way of rewarding success or longevity, but now you need a business-person who is able to lead people, generate revenue and understand how the marketing and brand of athletics can impact the entire university.”
Bill Lennox, president at St. Leo University in Florida, said schools must make sure that the AD is a senior member of the entire university staff. “We moved the AD to the equivalent level of a vice president, so he sat in all of the meetings and in the decision-making process with the rest of the VPs of the university,” he said.
The modern AD position oversees finances, marketing, human resources, student-athlete wellness, media contracts, and of course overall performance – all while salaries head well into seven figures and beyond.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
