With the recent departure of associate athletic director Lisa Sweany, the Grand Valley State University athletic department had a hole to fill- surprisingly one that wasn‘t a part of the Lubbers’ Stadium addition or the new library.

Unlike many schools who would hire from within, the Lakers took a different route and hired from an arch-rival, tabbing Ferris State University’s Keri Becker to serve as the new associate AD.

Becker, FSU’s softball coach for the last 14 years, will move south to GVSU into a full-time administrative position. She will also serve as the school’s senior women’s administrator- a position she also held at FSU.

“There are a lot of good things about GVSU and I knew a lot about this position,” said Becker, who played collegitaly at Saginaw Valley State University. “Obviously GVSU is right in Ferris’ backyard, but I felt it was an opportunity to take a position that would be good for professional growth.”

Rivalry aside, Becker has proven to be a successful and hard working individual in her time at FSU and elsewhere. To go along with three GLIAC Tournament titles (1999, 2000, 2005) and a 433-276-1 record as the head coach at FSU, Becker served as a member of both the National Championship Softball Committee and NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Ranking Committee, where she is the chair.

While softball is her main area of expertise, eight years in the United States Army Reserve – where she held the rank of sergeant – are another area of strength, and an example of confident, disciplined mindset Becker hopes to bring to GVSU.

“I feel like having an understanding of collegiate athletics, and being engrained in the student-athlete experience helps,” said Becker. “Being involved with administrative responsibility at Ferris – along with the discipline and structure gained from the armed forces – helped confidence-wise.”

While Becker will only handle the administrative duties for six womens’ sports, she has fully embraced the GVSU culture and is ready to begin working with the rest of the athletic department.

“This job is pretty well-outlined as a team, and we’re taking a team approach,” said Becker. “My main job will be to help us in compliance, and that’s something I’m excited to do.”

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