New AD at Emory has extensive lacrosse background

[Sonny]

EMORY NAMES TIM DOWNES ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

Emory University Senior Vice President and Dean of Campus Life Dr. John Ford has announced the appointment of Tim Downes as the Director of Athletics and Recreation. Downes will begin his duties at Emory on August 13.

Downes comes from Franklin and Marshall College, a member of the Centennial Conference, where he served as the Director of Athletics and Recreation since August 2004. As athletics director, he was responsible for the administration of 27 intercollegiate programs with over 600 students participating in those varsity sports. In addition, Franklin and Marshall sponsored 11 club sports and intramural program with an approximate total of 1,250 participants in those activities.

“As someone who has a great deal of experience and success with Division III athletic programs, Tim is a perfect fit for Emory,” Ford said.

Among his many accomplishments at Franklin and Marshall were a number of a capital projects that led to the creation of the Brooks Tennis Center, a renovation of the school’s squash facility and the planning and subsequent construction of a new synthetic turf athletic field. He played a major role in adding women’s crew as a varsity sport and saw the Diplomats’ women’s lacrosse team capture the 2007 NCAA Division III national championship.

“I am very excited to be joining one of the nation's premier research universities and particularly one that believes that a first-class athletics and recreation program only enhances the educational mission of an institution,” Downes said. “In my mind, the Emory program embodies everything that is right and good about college athletics and with the University's commitment to ensuring that athletics is a vibrant part of the student experience, I'm excited about the possibilities."

Prior to his tenure at Franklin and Marshall, Downes served as Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation at California Institute of Technology (1999-2004). Under his guidance, Caltech's athletic program reached unprecedented levels of success and growth, as the men's and women's tennis, women's basketball, women's swimming, and women's water polo teams all set or tied the school single-season win records, while the women's track and field and volleyball teams achieved their highest conference finishes in school history.

The Caltech athletic program expanded with the addition of women's water polo and the school embarked on a major outdoor facility renovation program that included the construction of a new soccer/track facility, a new baseball facility, and a space for recreational activities. Additionally, the entire athletic department was honored as 2003 Sports Ethics Fellows by the Institute for International Sports.

In addition to his Caltech duties, Downes served as the first commissioner for the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (2001-04). He has served as chair of the NCAA Membership Committee, and is a member of the Jostens Trophy National Selection Committee. He is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators, and the Division III Commissioners Association.

Downes went to Caltech after four years (1995-99) as associate athletic director at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., where he was responsible for all NCAA compliance matters as well as overseeing the athletic facilities for JHU's 27-sport program. He also was in charge of the school's recreational and intramural sports programs.

From 1993-95, he worked in the Patriot League office as assistant executive director for compliance and championships. Downes performed a number of tasks at the Patriot League, including management of its 20 conference championship tournaments. In addition, he coordinated the promotion, marketing and sponsorship of various conference programs and served as the NCAA compliance officer in the league office.

Downes attended Dartmouth College where he earned a B.A. in government and English in 1988. He was a four-year starter on the men's varsity lacrosse team and was named to the All-New England team as a senior.

Following graduation, he served as assistant coach for the lacrosse and soccer programs at Washington and Lee University while attending Washington and Lee School of Law. As a law student, Downes served as a student representative on the University Athletic Committee. His independent research thesis was titled "Title IX and Intercollegiate Athletics." He earned his J.D. from Washington and Lee in 1993 and was admitted to the Maryland State Bar in December 1993.

Downes and his wife, Beth, both natives of Baltimore, are the parents of a daughter, Kelley, and sons, Andrew and Will.