Towson Athletic Director Tim Leonard
Towson University President Maravene Loeschke today named Tim Leonard as the university’s new athletic director, effective August 19. Leonard is currently senior associate athletic director for external affairs at Southern Methodist University (SMU).
He will be introduced to the media and university community at a news conference Friday, August 2 at 11 a.m. in the Minnegan Room of the Unitas Stadium Field House.
“We are very excited to have someone of Tim Leonard’s caliber joining our team here at Towson University,” said President Loeschke.
“He is a professional administrator with 21 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics. He is a proven leader with a demonstrated ability to create strong and cohesive teams, and work cooperatively across academic and administrative departments.
“Tim is poised to take our athletic program to the next level of excellence,” she added. “He shares our philosophy that we must put academics first and that we must create and support opportunities for our student-athletes to develop their full academic, athletic and leadership potential. He shares our values and I look forward to working closely with him to take our athletic program to new levels of excellence and vitality.”
Leonard will replace Mike Waddell, who resigned as Towson’s athletic director this past May. Tricia Turley Brandenburg has served as interim director of athletics since June 3.
His selection follows a national search led by a Search Advisory Committee chaired by Donald C. Fry, president and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee.
“We met with a strong pool of candidates during our search, and Tim Leonard clearly stood out above the rest,” said Fry. “He has the ideal background and experience to drive the momentum that Towson athletics has enjoyed over the past couple of years and carry forward the excitement that has been created on campus for our athletics program.”
Leonard has served as senior associate athletic director at SMU since 2008. He also was the Mustangs’ interim director of athletics between May and August 2012. Prior to SMU, Leonard served in a series of increasingly responsible positions at the University of Central Florida, including assistant vice president for athletics development and associate athletic director, assistant AD for development, and assistant AD for external operations.
He is a member of the National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD) and was the 2012 recipient of NAADD’s Athletic Fundraiser of the Year award.
Leonard’s athletics career also includes positions at Boise State University, where he was assistant director of the Bronco Athletic Association, and at Illinois State University, where he served as director of annual giving.
Leonard is a graduate of Boise State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. In addition to his affiliation with NAADD, he is also a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
“My family and I are ecstatic to be joining the Towson University family and the Baltimore community,” Leonard said. “After visiting with the search committee, I learned that Towson is committed to having a nationally competitive athletics program. My conversations with President Loeschke also convinced me that Towson University is where I want to be.”
A native of Twin Falls, Idaho, Leonard and his wife, Monica, have two children, Hayley and Nathan.
