Tim Collins chosen as new EWU AD

The 100-day plan for Tim Collins to place his initial brand on the job of Eastern Washington University begins July 15.

Collins was selected as EWU's 17th athletics director by EWU Trustees and will be officially introduced at a press conference June 22, beginning work several weeks later.

During his public forum June 1 at the Catalyst Building in Spokane, Collins touted his "100-day plan" where he plans to meet one-on-one, one-on 10 or with as many people as it takes to help him understand the roadmap to his future at EWU.

Collins replaces the retiring Lynn Hickey and was chosen from a pool that originally included two others, Dr. Jim Sarra and Elizabeth Jarnigan. However, Jarnigan withdrew after accepting a position with former EWU AD, Bill Chaves at the University of North Dakota.

The 40-year-old Collins will be in his first role as an athletics director after serving in a number of associate positions. Collins currently serves as the senior associate athletics director for development at Fresno State in California.

He brings more than 18 years of intercollegiate athletics experience both in executive leadership positions and as a college basketball coach.

But foremost for Eastern, Collins has a proven track record of fundraising.

"Tim Collins brings an impressive track record of leadership, collaboration and fundraising that will help strengthen Eastern athletics and ensure the success of students on and off the field," EWU President Shari McMahan said in a statement.

Also in a statement, Collins said, "I want to thank President McMahan for trusting in my ability to lead and steward an athletics department with such a strong history."

Since 2018, Fresno State Athletics has set the four highest annual fund membership records. Additionally, the school recently unveiled a $250 million-plus facility master plan.

Prior to Fresno State he served as the Associate Athletics Director for Development at the University of Wyoming.

While in Laramie from 2013 to 2018, Collins helped raise the necessary resources for a variety of capital improvement projects.

Those included $30 million of renovations to the Arena-Auditorium, fundraising for locker room renovations as well as the fundraising, planning and construction

for the $44 million Mick and Susie McMurry High Altitude Performance Center.

Collins received his bachelor's degree in humanities, with an emphasis in political science, from Loyola Marymount in 2005. He completed a master's degree in organizational management and sport administration from Chadron State in 2008.

Collins began his professional career as an assistant basketball coach, which included two years at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho.

He and his wife, Renee, have a nine-year-old daughter, Kennedy, and a seven-year-old son, James.