USAFA hosts athletic director roundtable Published Jan. 15, 2015 By U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The U.S. Air Force Academy's Director of Manpower and Personnel director conducted a roundtable discussion Jan. 15 revealing details to print journalists on the hiring process and selection of Mr. James Knowlton as the Academy's new athletic director. Academy Director of Manpower and Personnel Laurie Carroll and Academy Civilian Personnel officer Connie Brown answered questions from Air Force Times, Colorado Springs Gazette, Denver Post and CollegeAD.org representatives on factors for choosing Knowlton over 49 other candidates. "We followed a deliberate, multi-step process that leveraged modern methods to reach across the nation to a diverse list of athletic groups and attract top talent," Carroll said. "I believe it was the combination of Knowlton's background, experience, visions going forward and personality connection with Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michelle D. Johnson that made him stand out. He has an exceptional military background, has been a sitting Athletic Director and hit on many of the key attributes General Johnson was looking for when she defined the qualifications, experience and knowledge an athletic department needs." The Academy advertised the job via Twitter, Facebook, USAJobs, the National Association of Tournament Directors Site and more. The Civilian Personnel Office here received 50 high-quality applicants; General Johnson interviewed the four finalists. "We are very pleased the employment process produced the types of individuals the Academy was looking for," Carroll said. "The athletic department position is a unique opportunity to share in the Academy's tradition of academic and sports excellence while also shaping the future leaders of the United States Air Force." According to Carroll, applicants weren't required to be Academy graduates or have prior experience here. Applications were screened by a five-member panel including males and females, Academy graduates and non-graduates, competitive athletes and non-athletes, and minority representatives. Next, top candidates were referred to a three-member interview panel comprised similarly to the screening panel, and then finally interviewed by General Johnson. "The Athletic Director is a key player in the Academy's mission to develop leaders of character," Carroll said. "The panels weighed General Johnson's intent with the background, experience, knowledge and qualifications of each candidate. In the end, General Johnson made the decision on the best fit for the athletic department and Academy. She kept the Chief of Staff of the Air Force and Secretary of the Air Force updated as we completed every major step of the process." The hiring process for a new athletic director here took about a year due to the layers of the process and adjustments to the job description, Brown said. "We reviewed it to make sure it accurately reflected the requirements of the job," she said. "The details in the initial description were minimized. We did a lot of research on our own along with the Air Force Personnel Center's Enterprise Recruiting Team to identify requirements. We also worked very closely with General Johnson to make sure all the responsibilities and duties that should be incorporated were." Knowlton graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1982 and served as its deputy and interim athletics director from 2003 to 2006, where he supervised 25 intercollegiate athletic programs with more than 1,000 student athletes. He served in Iraq, and led a battalion of 750 Soldiers with the 4th Infantry Division while stationed at Fort Carson, Colo. He also served as the director of athletics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., for seven years. "We are delighted to have Mr. Knowlton join the USAFA team," Carroll said. "He embodies our core values, understands the intricacies of NCAA rules and the important heritage of athletic competition here. He will help to reinforce a culture of commitment and a climate of respect while taking us forward as an institution. Lastly, he will be focused on winning -- but winning with character. We must win the right way." General Johnson will formally announce Knowlton as the new athletic director at a press conference at Clune Arena at 1 p.m. Jan. 21. The event is open to the public.