News

The Portland State Director of Athletics search committee has named four finalists to head PSU’s Department of Athletics: Torre Chisholm, Associate Athletics Director for Development and Marketing at UC Irvine; Chris May, Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs at Colorado; and Bruce Parker, Director of Athletics at Carroll College in Helena, Mont.; and Pete Isakson, Associate Director of Athletics for External Operations at Washington State.

The candidates will each spend two days on campus meeting with the search committee, President Dan Bernstine, University officials, athletics department coaches and staff. Finalized itineraries for the individual candidates have yet to be determined. The schedule of candidates on campus is as follows:
February 28–March 1: Torre Chisholm, Associate Athletics Director—Development and Marketing, UC Irvine
March 5–6: Pete Isakson, Associate Director of Athletics for External Operations, Washington State University
March 12–13: Bruce Parker, Director of Athletics, Carroll College (Helena, Mont.)
March 15–16: Chris May, Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs, University of Colorado

Brief summaries of the candidates’ experience:

 
Torre Chisholm, Associate Athletics Director—Development and Marketing, UC Irvine
Chisholm has been at the University of California, Irvine, as associate athletics director since September 2000. Prior to that, he spent nine years in a range of capacities at the University of California, Santa Barbara, including five as assistant athletics director for marketing and promotions, in addition to stints as assistant director of marketing, assistant ticket manager, women's volleyball assistant coach and camp director. Chisholm is an alumnus of UC Santa Barbara.

Pete Isakson, Associate Director of Athletics for External Operations, Washington State University
Isakson has been at Washington State University in his current role since July 2003. He was the assistant athletics director for development, marketing and promotions at the University of Idaho from August 1998 to July 2003. Isakson also served one year as the athletic sales coordinator for the University of Northern Iowa and one year at Ashland University as the director of marketing and promotions. He is a 1995 graduate of Eastern Washington University, with a master’s degree from the University of Idaho (2003).

Bruce Parker, Director of Athletics, Carroll College
Parker has served as the athletics director at Carroll College (Mont.) since July 2003. He also has extensive Big Sky Conference experience, having worked as the assistant athletics director and then associate athletics director at Montana State University from 1990 to 2003. Parker began his career as a sports information director at Montana State in 1979 and held that role until 1988. He also worked one year as the sports information director at Eastern Washington University. Parker is a 1979 graduate of Eastern Montana College (now Montana State University-Billings).

Chris May, Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs, University of Colorado
May has worked at the University of Colorado for the past 22 years in a variety of roles. May was named assistant athletics director for marketing and promotions in 1990. He has been an associate athletics director since 1999, working in Marketing and Revenue Development. In August of 2005 he was named associate athletics director for external affairs. May is a 1985 graduate of Iowa State University, and earned a master’s degree at University of Colorado (1988).

About the PSU Vikings
The Portland State University Intercollegiate Athletics program is an NCAA Division I member that competes in 14 varsity sports: six men’s and eight women’s. In addition, PSU is scheduled to add men’s and women’s tennis programs in the 2007-08 academic year. The Vikings are members of the nine-school Big Sky Conference and have won five Big Sky Conference championships over the past four years. The Viking wrestling program competes in the Pac-10 Conference, and the softball team is a member—and 2006 champion—of the Pacific Coast Softball Conference.

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Source:
Mike Lund (503-725-5602)
PSU Athletics Department

Amy Ross (503-725-4959)
Office of the President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (#07-020)