LOGAN, Utah — Interim President Al Smith announced today the appointment of Sandy Barbour, former Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics at Penn State, as Interim Athletic Director at Utah State University. Barbour is one of the nation’s most respected college athletics directors, with over 40 years of experience as a coach and administrator. She has held leadership roles at Cal, Notre Dame, Tulane, Northwestern, and Penn State. At Penn State, where she served from 2014 to 2022, Barbour led the athletics department through national championships, major facility upgrades, and the introduction of NIL. She was promoted to vice president for intercollegiate athletics in 2019 and was named Sports Business Journal’s Athletic Director of the Year in 2022. Currently, Barbour is a senior advisor at Huron for intercollegiate athletics, where she supports universities in developing long-term athletics strategies, refining business and financial models, assessing facility feasibility, ensuring leadership continuity, and prioritizing student-athlete well-being. “Barbour, and the team at Huron, bring extensive experience and expertise in championship-level Division I athletics, including NIL, operations, finance, recruiting, facilities management and marketing.” said USU Interim President Alan Smith “They will provide a valuable national perspective on the evolving college athletics landscape and our transition into