Kent State Athletics Promotes Four
10/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | General
KENT, Ohio - The Kent State University Department of Athletics has promoted current staff members Cathy O'Donnell, Bob Heller, John Faulstick and Jen Kulics. Kent State Director of Athletics Laing Kennedy made the announcement on Wednesday. O'Donnell's new title is Executive Associate Athletic Director, Heller is now the Senior Associate Athletic Director and Faulstick and Kulics are both Associate Athletic Directors.
“I am very pleased that we are able to recognize and reward the commitment, loyalty and outstanding performance of these members of our staff in promoting them to new responsibilities,” Kennedy said. “All four are very deserving of this recognition.”
A 20-year veteran of the University, O'Donnell spent three years in the Admissions Office before becoming an athletic academic counselor in 1990. Her responsibilities have grown to include the oversight of several teams and academic services, assisting coaches in the areas of student-athlete welfare, campus resources and team policies, in addition to serving as the Senior Woman Administrator. The Steubenville, Ohio, native earned her bachelor's degree in secondary education from Ohio State University and went on to receive her master's degree in higher education administration from Kent State.
Heller has been a member of the KSU Athletic Department since 1999. His duties include spearheading KSU's NCAA compliance and diversity efforts and sport oversight responsibilities for men's basketball, baseball, field hockey and track & field. The Oradell, N.J., native began his tenure with the Golden Flashes as the compliance director. He received his bachelor's degree in special education from Kutztown University before going on to earn a master's degree in sports administration from East Stroudsburg University. Prior to his arrival in Kent, Heller spent nearly nine years in charge of compliance and game management, first at Lenoir-Rhyne College and then at Slippery Rock University.
Faulstick is in the midst of his 28th year heading up the athletic training efforts at Kent State. He is responsible for the supervision of four full-time assistants as well as a nationally recognized athletic training student program. Faulstick received both his bachelor's degree in industrial arts and his master's degree in physical education from Ball State University. The Monroeville, Ind., native was named KSU's head athletic trainer in February of 1980 after serving as an assistant athletic trainer for three years at his alma mater.
A Canfield, Ohio, native, Kulics joined the Kent State staff in 2000 as an academic counselor. Her current duties include administrative and long-range planning, including departmental accreditation processes and assistance with the five-year fundraising initiative for athletics. Kulics is responsible for the office of academic services and life skills programming for student-athletes, in addition to serving as a sport administrator. She was a two-sport athlete at Bowling Green State University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in psychology. Kulics went on to earn her master's degree in exercise physiology and a doctoral degree in educational administration from Kent State.
