Entering the school year, the Willamette Athletic Department saw two major faculty changes. Robert McKinney, the assistant athletic director of communications, who was employed in the athletic department from 2006-07, was let go by the university. Leslie Shevlin, the associate athletics director, departed of her own volition after 14 years on staff.
McKinney won the NWC Sports Information Director of the Year Award alongside Chris Sabato in 2021-22 and is now the sports information director at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. When speaking with Athletic Director Rob Passage, he noted that he is “happy for [McKinney] that he’s been able to continue to do what he loves, but sad that it is not here at Willamette.”
Shevlin, “an outstanding member of the athletic department,” and winner of the 2022 NCAA DIII Emerging Athletic Administrator Award, had been at Willamette since 2010. She spent nine years as the head swim coach before becoming the associate athletic director for the last five.
Shevlin left Willamette this past summer, taking on a new role as senior associate athletic director at Williams College in Massachusetts. According to Passage, the move was a strategic way to advance her career. “Sometimes in business you have to go somewhat sideways to go up. The only way for her to get that job here was for me to leave. … I don’t think she was rooting for me to go anywhere and I wasn’t rooting for me to go anywhere.”
Passage noted the significance of Shevlin’s departure and the excitement of her new position: “We miss what she brought to the table because she was experienced with Willamette and a fantastic resource for our students, coaches and staff. But we are also super happy for her and what she was able to do since I think it’s a great step for her career.”
The athletic department is not currently seeking to replace Shevlin’s position due to the timing of her departure. “She left in early August which is such a busy time of year for us,” said Passage.
For now, Shevlin and McKinney’s responsibilities have been dispersed throughout the department. Brent Franz, an assistant coach for Willamette track and field for over 15 years and the head triathlon coach for the last four years, is helping with compliance. Additionally, Peg Swadner, the Willamette women’s basketball coach, has taken on the role of senior women administrator.
As Passage said, “We weren't going to find another her [Shevlin], but we realize we have good people here who can do those things. We’re going to spend this year deciding what we need.”
When asked if they are saving money in the restructure, Passage responded, “There are some salary savings in not filling the position, but that’s not the primary reason for the changes.”
Meghan Drader, the coordinator of athletic facilities as of last year, has now stepped into the position of assistant AD for athletic facilities & operations to help adjust to the changes. Rob has also taken on an additional workload alongside Drader.
“Leslie and I worked very closely together,” Passage explained. “I think I know all the things she was doing, but I know I don’t. I worked very closely with Robert so I thought I knew all of the things he was responsible for. There haven’t been issues, but I think there've been several times where I’ve been like, ‘Oh wow, I did not know that, that was something he did,’ where we’ve had to fill in some gaps. I’ve taken on maybe more of those responsibilities than I thought I would.”
When asked about early successes with the unfolding of a new semester, Passage mentioned, “We want to be more active on social media. We want to at least get something that says, ‘Hey, here’s the result,’ after competitions and we’ve been able to do that.” He also hopes that student-athletes don’t have a diminished experience or notice any decreases in the quality of their experience while at Willamette.
Leslie Shevlin and Robert McKinney have yet to respond for comment.