Cleveland State's Lee Reed named Athletics Director at Georgetown

CLEVELAND - Lee Reed, who guided the Cleveland State athletic department to an unprecedented level of all around success over the last eight years, will leave his position as athletic director at Cleveland State next month in order to become the director of athletics at Georgetown University.

Reed will assume his duties at Georgetown beginning on May 10.

"I would like to thank Lee for his eight years of service to the university and his commitment to building the athletic program with character and integrity," Cleveland State President Dr. Ronald Berkman said.

"Under his guidance, Viking athletics has developed into one of the top all-around programs in the Horizon League. More importantly, he has done this by emphasizing the importance of achieving academic success as much as winning championships.

"This is a period of growth for Cleveland State University and I expect that we will find a successor for Lee who will continue to move the program forward," Berkman added.

Proof of the academic accomplishments of the Vikings came last week when 141 student-athletes - or 54 percent - were honored for maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher at the annual John Konstantinos Academic Honors Luncheon.

Viking student-athletes have combined to maintain a 3.00 GPA in seven of Reed's eight years at CSU

"It is with mixed emotions that I say goodbye to my Cleveland State family. CSU has helped to shape who I am personally and professionally and I owe much to the wonderful people that have been apart of my life as an undergraduate and certainly professionally over the last eight years," Reed said.

"When I arrived in Cleveland in 2002 my goal was to provide our student athletes, coaches and staff with the best possible opportunities to achieve the success that they all deserved. As I depart eight years later I think that we have accomplished most of those goals and laid the foundation for future success.

"I enthusiastically acknowledge that without the support and determination of our student athletes, coaches, staff and university leadership, this next chapter in my professional career would not be possible. For they are truly the heart and soul of CSU and Cleveland

"My wife Katafa and I would also like to personally thank Dr. Michael Schwartz and his wife Joanne for their wonderful vision and leadership and for giving my family the opportunity to return home to CSU. I would also like to thank President Ronald Berkman for his support of intercollegiate athletics. The future is definitely in good hands," Reed added.

A basketball standout with the Vikings from 1980-83, Reed returned to Cleveland State in the summer of 2002 as the fourth athletic director in the history of CSU athletics.

Over the last three years, Reed has overseen a department that has captured 11 Horizon League Championships, as well as six runner-up finishes. In addition, CSU student-athletes have competed at the NCAA Championship 15 times over that span.

Reed's plan and vision culminated during the 2007-08 season when the Vikings claimed the James J. McCafferty Trophy, which is presented annually by the Horizon League in recognition of the league's all-sport champion. It was the first time that CSU captured the award.

In addition, CSU won the league's Men's All-Sports Award, while the Vikings finished third in the Women's All-Sports Award.

The Vikings, who had never finished higher than fifth place in the McCafferty standings, became just the fourth current Horizon League member to win the award and vaulted all the way from seventh place (out of nine schools) in the standings from 2006-07.

Reed is well-respected nationally, having represented the Horizon League on the NCAA Management Council and as the president of the NCAA I-AAA Athletic Director's Association in 2007-08. He is also a member of the NCAA Basketball Academic Enhancement Group, a working group composed of presidents, chancellors, head coaches, commissioners, athletic directors and faculty athletic representatives, which was established to develop strategies to enhance the academic performance and graduation rates of NCAA Division I men's basketball.

Reed has served as chairman of the John McLendon Memorial Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Awards committee, which is operated through NACDA.

A search for Reed's successor will begin immediately.