NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State Director of Athletics Kyle Brennan announced the hiring of Mark Muhlhauser on Monday as the department's Deputy Director of Athletics for External Operations.
Muhlhauser brings over 20 years of athletics administration experience and a vast knowledge of the business of collegiate athletics with him to Illinois State, and a strong foundation in cultivating relationships with University and community donors.
"We are excited to bring Mark and his expertise to Redbird Athletics," Brennan said. "His vast knowledge in collegiate athletics development, combined with his recent success in building relationships at Populous, will be tremendous assets to our department in the coming years. We look forward to his ideas and leadership, as we build on the successes here at ISU and achieve future goals for the betterment of our student-athletes, coaches and staff."
Muhlhauser comes to Illinois State after spending five years as the Americas Director of Business Development for Populous, a global architecture and design firm that designs the places where people love to be together. In that role, he was tasked with new lead generation for the company and sought to enhance the company's strategic business development approach in the collegiate space.
"I could not be more excited to work with Kyle and be a part of his vision for Illinois State Athletics' future," Muhlhauser stated. "My family and I are looking forward to being back in Illinois and becoming a part of the Bloomington-Normal community. I look forward to building new relationships locally and nationally and strengthening current partnerships to aid in this department's future goals."
Prior to joining Populous, Muhlhauser spent time at South Florida, where he managed fundraising and strategic planning for the school's athletics program as Associate VP of Development and Senior Associate Director of Athletics. Preceding USF, Mark held fundraising and athletics administration roles at Northern Illinois, Penn State, Washington and Ohio.
He holds master's degrees in Business and Sports Administration from Ohio University and completed his undergrad at the University of Washington. He will be joined in Normal by his wife, Jill, and children Osten, Jake, and Brooklyn.
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