Eastern Washington hires Tim Collins as new athletic director, a former Fresno State associate AD

Eastern Washington concluded its national search for a new athletics director by naming Tim Collins to the position on Friday.

This will be the first time the 40-year-old Collins has led a college athletics department. He is leaving his position as Fresno State’s senior associate athletics director for development to take the job in Cheney.

His term will begin officially on July 15. In the interim, Mark Baldwin – EWU President Shari McMahan’s chief of staff – will provide administrative oversight of the department. Lynn Hickey retired as EWU athletics director at the end of May.

Collins was one of three initial finalists for the position.

“Tim Collins brings an impressive track record of leadership, collaboration and fundraising that will strengthen Eastern athletics and ensure the success of students on and off the field,” McMahan said in a university release.

A 2005 graduate of Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, Collins began his career in collegiate athletics as Cal State Fullerton Director of Basketball Operations during the 2005-2006 season. He was an assistant basketball coach at Chadron (Nebraska) State, Lewis-Clark State in Lewiston and and Black Hills (South Dakota) State between 2006 and 2011. He also completed a master’s degree in organizational management and sport administration at Chadron State.

In 2011, he shifted into an administrative role at Black Hills State as the assistant AD for development and fundraising. Two years later, he took an equivalent position at Wyoming, and in 2018 moved to Fresno State’s department.

In the university release, Collins thanked McMahan for “trusting in my ability to lead and steward an athletics department with such a strong history and vibrant connection to our campus and community.”

Collins and Renee, his wife, have two children: Kennedy, a 9-year-old daughter; and James, a 7-year-old son.