Becker named director of athletics

Keri Becker was named the new director of athletics at Grand Valley State University at a press conference April 7, and will take the place of Tim Selgo, who served in the position for 20 years.

Becker, the current associate athletic director and senior woman administrator, will assume the role July 18. 

“We are thrilled that Keri will have the opportunity to lead our athletic department and continue to work with our athletic programs,” said Jim Bachmeier, vice president for Finance and Administration at Grand Valley. “She has worked closely with Tim Selgo and has proven she’s dedicated to our student-athletes and the Grand Valley State tradition of excellence in athletics and in the classroom. Finding the best candidate within our own ranks is another sign of the strength of our institution, athletic department and staff.”

Becker has served as the associate athletic director since August 2011, and oversees all aspects of the GVSU football, volleyball, softball, women’s golf, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tennis, and women’s lacrosse teams, as well as the Laker cheerleading group.

In addition to sport supervision, Becker is responsible for cross-campus collaborations, overseeing the financial aid aspect of NCAA compliance, completion of all required institutional reports, fundraising efforts and assisting with game operations. She is also the administrative liaison for Grand Valley State’s Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and is chair of the Boand & Rowe Endowment for Advancement of Women in Sport/Physical Activity Committee.

“I’m honored to be selected to continue the legacy of the highly accomplished Tim Selgo,” said Becker. “I look forward to taking on the challenges of the best Division II athletics program in the country and ensuring I lead in such a way that the coaches have the opportunity for success and the student-athletes continue to receive the best academic and athletic experience possible. I want to thank President Haas, Jim Bachmeier, and the search committee for having the confidence in my experience and abilities, given the talented candidate pool.”

Prior to her time at Grand Valley, Becker spent 15 years at Ferris State University in Big Rapids. She served in a number of roles at FSU, including the head softball coach from 1996-2011, compiling a record of 433-276 in her 14 seasons. Becker led the Bulldogs to the Division II College World Series in 1998, 1999 and 2008, while also winning three conference championships. She was a three-time GLIAC Coach of the Year at Ferris State.

Along with her coaching duties at Ferris State, Becker was also the compliance coordinator for 12 years, spent three years as the senior woman administrator, and briefly served as the interim athletic director. She received a bachelor's degree from Saginaw Valley State University and a MBA from Ferris State.

Becker takes over arguably the top Division II athletics programs in the country. Grand Valley State has won the Learfield Sports/NACDA Directors’ Cup (the Division II All-Sports Trophy) a record 10 times and has finished in either first or second place in the Directors’ Cup standings for 14 consecutive years. GVSU has also won 17 straight GLIAC Presidents’ Cup titles as the top athletic program in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and a record 22 such titles all-time. 

Since 2002, Grand Valley State has won 19 team NCAA Division II National Championships in the sports of football, volleyball, women’s basketball, soccer, women’s cross country, women’s indoor track and field, and women’s outdoor track and field. GVSU has also captured 53 individual NCAA Division II National Championships in its athletic history, won by 34 different individuals. 50 of those individual titles have come since 2001.

Becker follows a notable group of past Grand Valley State athletic directors, including Charles Irwin (1963-72), Donald Dufek (1972-76), George MacDonald (1976-89), Mike Kovalchik (1989-96) and Selgo (1996-2016).