My reasons for excitement:
- 15+ years of experience across 4 schools that operate at various levels
- Primarily a finance/business office background which means he has to touch every aspect of each department he was in. Understanding how each division within functions, budgetary needs, short falls, etc. He knows how a successful department needs to operate at every level.
- At Brown his role expanded to essentially overseeing the day to day operations of the entire department. He was in charge of external relations which placed him over out-facing marketing, development, and sponsorships, so while he doesn't have much direct experience on the external side, he got more of a taste of it at Brown, which can help him implement an overall vision and hire people to execute it day-to-day. In addition, he was the sport administrator for Basketball & Baseball at Georgia Tech, and Lacrosse at Maryland.
Most ADs are going to take two paths, Internal Administration or External Outreach. I can understand why someone would prefer an AD who took the external path, but the qualities a seasoned administrator brings are equally as important. You can raise all the money in the world, but if it's not being used correctly, then it's not all that beneficial to the overall department.
I've worked in collegiate athletics for about 10 years. I've seen both prototypes succeed, and i've seen both fail. Part of that experience was in the Ivy League and I can assure you that moving from a 2nd in command role in the Ivy, to an AD role at Mason isn't some astronomical jump. It's clear that Lewis took the job at Brown, in part, to round out his resume in hopes of becoming an AD. I know two people, one of which is a Mason grad, who have worked alongside Lewis at 2 separate stops, and both have great things to say. Again, an AD is only as good as the people he hires, so let's hope he hires well.
