ISU Athletic Director moves forward with reorganization

Iowa State Athletic Director Bruce Van De Velde announced the hiring of a new senior associate athletic director. 30-year-old Laird Veatch is coming to Ames from Missouri where he was an assistant athletic director. Van De Velde says Veatch will oversee ISU’s marketing and development efforts, while also supervising sports and acting as the senior administrator. Van De Velde also promoted three people in the department to assistant athletic director positions as part of a re-organization.Van De Velde says Veatch’s position has been open since he took over as athletic director. Veatch will be paid 85-thousand dollars a year, but Van De Velde says adding him to the staff won’t hurt an already tight budget.He says it won’t increase the payroll significantly, and says it Veatch should help bring in more revenue. Van De Velde says the changes are all part of doing business.The reorganization has not come without controversy, as Elaine Heiber, a senior associate athletic director at Iowa State, resigned earlier this month after 23 years on the staff. Heiber cited philosophical differences with Van De Velde, specifically his commitment to gender equity, as her reason for leaving.