Papa John, athletic department employees on Louisville athletic director search committee

"Papa" John Schnatter and three members of the University of Louisville's athletic department are among 10 people named to the search committee charged with finding a permanent U of L athletic director.

The portion of the committee charged with helping select its next boss includes senior women's administrator Christine Herring, senior associate athletic director Marvin Mitchell and women's basketball coach Jeff Walz.

Schnatter, the pizza mogul and University of Louisville trustee, publicly criticized athletic department leadership in the spring, signaling eroding trust in former athletic director Tom Jurich, who called it "a setup."

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Appointed by interim president Greg Postel, who also serves as a member, the search committee met for the first time on Monday afternoon at Grawemeyer Hall. Postel said afterward that all but one members were in attendance but would not say which one was absent.

The committee is expected to recommend a candidate to the board of trustees, which retains final hiring authority.

Postel's stated preference is to complete the hiring process by the end of March. Interim athletic director Vince Tyra, whose temporary appointment was announced on Oct. 3, is considered a leading candidate to win the job on a full-time basis.

The search committee's membership is as follows:

• Christine Herring, senior women's administrator/associate athletic director
• Marvin Mitchell, senior associate AD/student services and diversity
• Greg Postel, interim university president
• Nitin Sahney, trustee and former President and CEO of Omnicare
• John Schnatter, trustee and board chairman of Papa John's Pizza
• Vickie Tencer, research and grants manager, University of Louisville School of Nursing
• Vishnu Tirumala, student body president
• Krista Wallace-Boaz, assistant dean, University of Louisville School of Music
• Jeff Walz, head coach, U of L women's basketball
• Elaine Wise, U of L faculty athletics representative and former chair of Division of Humanities