Forty Under 40

SCOTT WEAVER / KANSAS STATE ATHLETICS

“I really thought that I wanted to be involved in athletics, but I thought it would be as a history teacher coaching high school soccer,” said Currie, a former soccer player.

Currie, now 39, is one of the nation’s youngest ADs at a school in the big six conferences. In his second year at Kansas State, he is about to tackle his largest facility project by building a $20 million basketball practice building for the men’s and women’s teams. And he’s doing it with private funds that the school has raised.

“It represents a big step forward because most of the money raised came from donors outside of Kansas,” said Currie, who added that half of K-State’s alums live outside of the state. “We’ve worked hard going coast to coast to reconnect with our constituents.”

Another hallmark of Currie’s nearly two years at the school has been his emphasis on transparency and accountability. In his pocket, Currie carries small laminated business cards that have the department’s core values on one side and the athletic budget on the other. It’s important for Currie to let K-State’s supporters know how their money is being spent.

As an AD who came into an athletic department facing a $2 million deficit, he knew the budget had to be cleaned up. Now it’s grown from $44 million to $47 million in fiscal 2011 and is operating at a $5 million surplus, he said.

“We decided that we had to be forthright and open up everything,” said Currie, who writes open letters and answers questions from Wildcats fans on the school’s website. “As we go along, we’re also seeing that it makes good business sense because our supporters see that the dollars they’ve invested are being used the way they want them used. Then they’re willing to invest more.”