EAST STROUDSBURG - Dr. Gary Gray, formerly Director of Athletics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, has been named Director of Athletics at East Stroudsburg University.

Gray brings 22 years of experience as director of athletics to ESU, and more than four decades in athletics and education - as an administrator, coach, tenured faculty member and primary and secondary educator.

Gray has been Director of Athletics at Alaska Fairbanks since September 2012, following almost two decades at Montana State University Billings. Both are fellow institutions of ESU at the NCAA Division II level.

"We are very excited to welcome Dr. Gary Gray to East Stroudsburg University as our Director of Athletics," said ESU President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D. "His extensive and impressive experience in Division II athletics made Dr. Gray an excellent candidate to lead our department of 20 varsity sports, nearly 50 staff members and close to 500 student-athletes."

"I am really enthusiastic about this new opportunity to work with the staff and student-athletes at ESU," said Gray. "This will be a great professional experience, and I look forward to joining and advancing a large Division II program that has a history of success. I have looked at my career as a series of adventures, and am very excited about this new adventure in a great part of the country with a tradition of strong athletics. This position also brings me closer to my father in New Brunswick which was a personal consideration."

"I would like to thank Dr. Welsh and the search committee for their confidence in me, and look forward to working with Dr. Welsh and the entire ESU Department of Athletics. I am eager to start setting goals and working towards them with all of the Warriors."

Gray plans to begin his position at ESU on Monday, January 22 following the close of the NCAA Convention, where he is the current chair of the NCAA Division II Management Council.

Dr. Gray holds his Ed. D. from the University of Oregon in 1983, his M.S. degree from the University of Kentucky in 1975 and his B.P.E. degree from the University of New Brunswick (Canada) in 1974. His undergraduate degree is in Health, Physical Education and Recreation, and his advanced degrees were conferred in Physical Education.

In his most recent appointment at Alaska Fairbanks, Gray guided a 10-sport NCAA athletics program, competing primarily in the DII Great Northwest Athletic Conference, along with DI men's ice hockey in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

He has been one of 29 members of the DII Management Council since January 2014 and is serving out his one-year term as chair. He has served on multiple committees with responsibilities including championships, academic requirements, administrative, membership, identity, annual convention planning and planning and finance.

He has also been one of 19 members of the NCAA Board of Governors, which oversees governance of all three divisions, since January 2017.

Gray has also served as Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at Alaska Fairbanks since November 2016.

Gray spent 22 years at Montana State University Billings, including 17 years spanning two stints as Director of Intercollegiate Athletics - November 1994 through February 1998, and September 1999 through September 2012.

He began his time at MSUB as head men's volleyball coach for one season and professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance. He served as department chair for four years, and was Associate Dean of the College of Education and Human Services for one year.

He helped grow the MSUB Department of Athletics from eight sports, the DII minimum at the time, to 17 sports, expanding the number of rostered student-athletes from 77 to 330.

He was chair of the NCAA DII Men's Soccer National Committee in 2011-12, the culmination of a three-year appointment as chair of the West Region Men's Soccer Regional Advisory Committee (RAC).

He was President of the Pacific West Conference from 1996-98, overseeing conference growth from seven to 16 members.

Gray was a faculty member at Iowa State in the Department of Health and Human Performance from 1987 through 1994, directing undergraduate and graduate programs in Sport Management and attaining tenure and the rank of Associate Professor.

He was previously Assistant Professor at Montana State University Billings - known then as Eastern Montana College - from 1984 through 1987 before rejoining the MSUB faculty in 1994. He started the men's volleyball program and was head coach until his departure for Iowa State.

He also has classroom and administrative experience as teacher and Assistant Principal at Emerald Junior Academy in Pleasant Hill, Oregon from 1976 through 1984, and as teacher at Fredericton High School in New Brunswick, Canada in 1975-76.

Gray and his wife, Cami, look forward to making ESU and the Poconos their home.