Northern State University President James Smith has announced four finalists for the position of Northern State University Athletic Director. The national search began in October following the retirement of current NSU AD Bob Olson at the conclusion of the 2011-12 academic year.

Finalists include:

Joshua Moon

Moon is currently the senior associate director of athletics at Western Illinois University (Macomb, Ill.).  Moon serves as the No. 2 administrator in an athletic department that hosts 20 Division I sports teams, 450 student athletes, 50 coaches and 30 administrative staff members and has an annual operating budget of $10.8 million. Moon has previously served as the assistant athletic director for compliance and sports administration at Central Michigan University.

Moon has been involved in a $1.3 million football and track stadium renovation as well as baseball and softball construction projects. He administers the athletic department $3.2 million scholarship budget.

Moon graduated with a Bachelor of Science in business administration and a Bachelor of Science in exercise and sport science from the University of Wisconsin (La Crosse, Wis.) in 2003. He graduated with a master of science in administration from Central Michigan University (Mount Pleasant, Mich.) in 2006. 

Justin Sanford

Sanford is currently the director of athletics at Gahanna High School (Gahanna, Ohio), a high school with approximately 2,300 students. He has been in that position since 2003.  Sanford manages 27 varsity sports and more than 1,000 student athletes.

Under Sanford’s direction, Gahanna has won 40 conference championships and state championships in track and soccer. Sanford previously was the athletic director at Bloom Carroll High School in Carroll, Ohio, and was a member of the Kent State University Athletic Alumni Board of Directors. Sanford is currently responsible for raising $2 million for an athletic facility renovation, with $1.2 million raised to date.

Sanford graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Science in 1998 and a Master of Science in administration from Central Michigan University in 2001. 

James E. Fallis

Fallis is currently the director of intercollegiate athletics at Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, Ariz.). Fallis has directed this NCAA Division I program to nine Big Sky regular season championships; Big Sky tournament championships in women’s basketball and women’s soccer; and in 2006, NAU won the prestigious Big Sky “Presidents Cup.” Fallis also served as the director of intercollegiate athletics at the University of Northern Colorado (Greeley, Colo.) from 1993 to 2004.

During Fallis’ tenure, he raised more than $500,000 for a women’s soccer locker room expansion as part of a $14 million sports complex, secured $1.5 million in video and scoreboard packages and directed a $26 million renovation of the Skydome. Fallis has been a leader in gender equity issues, received an NCAA award for value and attitudinal diversity and was named to the Arizona Governor’s Council on Health Physical Fitness and Sport. He is member of five athletic halls of fame.

Fallis graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history from Lake Superior State University (Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.) and a master’s in education from Northern Michigan University (Marquette, Mich.). 

Brian DeAngelis

DeAngelis is currently the director of athletics at East Central University a NCAA Division II program located in Ada, Okla. DeAngelis oversees 13 varsity sports, athletic support groups and all marketing and promotions efforts. Previously, DeAngelis served as the senior associate athletic director at Texas A & M University (Corpus Christi, Texas).

DeAngelis has raised more than $2 million over the past several years in support of a new strength and conditioning center and remodel of the football, basketball and baseball locker rooms. DeAngelis has been responsible for a 400 percent increase in corporate partnership revenue and has directed and implemented a five-year athletic strategic plan.

DeAngelis graduated with a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Florida Southern College (Lakeland, Fla.) and received his MBA from Delta State University (Cleveland, Miss.). 

The finalists will begin coming to Aberdeen for on-campus interviews in late January.

The finalists were determined by a search committee that was chaired by NSU Provost / Vice President Academic Affairs Thomas Hawley and Todd Jordre, president/CEO, NSU Foundation.  

Other committee members include:

Don Meyer - retired men’s basketball coach
Kathie Courtney – athletic faculty representative
Nathan Reede – Wolves Club president
Alan LaFave – dean of the School of Fine Arts
Elyce Kastigar – head swimming coach
Tom Dosch – head football coach
Jackie Witlock – associate director of athletic development
Allan Vogel – director of admissions
Tammy Pierce – program assistant/finance and administration
Jordan Schaffer – former student athlete/graduate assistant