Minneapolis Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission Exec Dir BILL LESTER on Thursday announced that "he will leave the position on July 31, after 25 years on the job," according to Meryhew & Walsh of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. The announcement comes amid "the imminent demise" of the commission, which will be "fully dissolved in mid-August." The commission owns and operates the Metrodome. Lester, "who will be paid $77,500 in severance, will consult with" the newly formed Minneapolis Sports Facilities Authority through the end of the year (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/20).
EXECS: California State Athletic Commission Exec Officer GEORGE DODD "resigned Monday." His successor "has not been named" (ESPN.com, 7/18)....Dietz Trott Sports & Entertainment Management named RICK CHRYST Senior VP/Counsel. Chryst, who will be opening a Cleveland-based office, served as MAC Commissioner from '99-'09 (Dietz Trott)....IEG Consulting Group named MICHAEL WRIGHT Chief Growth Officer (IEG)....Next Level Sports Management hired DANNY DOBEY (Next Level)....In a restructuring of the Univ. of North Carolina athletic department administrative staff, the school promoted LARRY GALLO to Exec Associate AD. UNC also promoted Associate ADs CLINT GWALTNEY, RICK STEINBACHER and STEVE KIRSCHNER to Senior Associate ADs. KARLTON CREECH was named Senior Associate AD, and will serve as the UNC athletics department's Chief of Staff. In addition, UNC named KEN MACK and MATT TERRELL Associate ADs, and promoted KEN CLEARY, MIKE PERKINS, TIM SABO and TIM SMITH to Assistant ADs (UNC)....The Kay Yow Cancer Fund named Univ. of Oklahoma women's basketball coach SHERRI COALE, Penn State women's basketball coach COQUESE WASHINGTON and ESPN VP/Programming & Acquisitions CAROL STIFF BOD members. In addition, the fund named ACC Associated Commissioner/Women's Basketball Operations & Senior Woman Administrator CONNIE ROGERS-NEWCOME President (Kay Yow Cancer Fund).
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