Charles McClelland begins his first year as Texas Southern University Athletics Director.

Previously, he served as the athletics director at Prairie View A&M University for seven years. As athletics director, McClelland oversaw 18 sports - 10 womens sports and eight mens. His daily duties included overseeing budgets, scheduling, fund raising, marketing and keeping abreast of NCAA rules and regulations.

When McClelland became athletic director in 2001, he wasted no time laying the groundwork to revitalize the PVAMU athletics program. Renovations to the weight room, football locker room and the creation of a womens locker room in the William J. Nicks Building have been completed.

Other projects that have taken place under McClellands watch include the completion of a new womens soccer field, a new football practice field and a new athletic building which currently houses the athletics administrative and coaching staff. Through funding secured from alumni donations, construction for a new strength and conditioning facility will begin in the upcoming months.

In addition, McClelland has solidified funding by securing $300,000 in unrestricted corporate funds (State Farm Insurance) which will be used for facility improvements at the baseball and softball fi elds within the next two years. Over the past 5 years, McClelland has secured over $1.8 million in corporate sponsorship to help support the athletic programs.

He has increased football scholarships to the NCAA IAA maximum of 63 grant-in-aids. McClelland has also increased athletic grant-in-aids for the remaining 17 sports to near the maximum allowed by the NCAA for a Division I program.

Other improvements made during McClellands tenure include the implementation of a incentive pay structure for coaches, the establishment of an athletics scholarship endowment which now has collected over $500,000 in donations, and the addition of womens soccer.

From a competitive standpoint, each of Prairie Views 18 sports has steadily improved under McClellands tenure. For the 2006-07 sports year the PVAMU athletic program received the schools fi rst-ever Southwestern Athletic Conference C.D. Henry Award, symbolic of overall excellence among the SWACs male sponsored sports.

Overall, the PVAMU Athletics program fi nished in second place for the Dr. James Frank Commissioners Cup Award and third for the Barbara Jacket-Sadie Magee Award. The Dr. James Frank Commissioners Cup is symbolic of overall excellence among its sponsored sports and the Barbara Jacket-Sadie Magee Award is symbolic of overall excellence among its female sponsored sports. Both fi nishes marked the highest by the PVAMU athletics department in 16 years.

As a result of his efforts, McClelland was named one of 29 winners of the AstroTurf Athletic Director of the Year Award as presented by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). McClelland was chosen as the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) West award winner. McClelland is the fi rst Athletic Director from the Southwestern Athletic Conference to receive this prestigious award.

A 1993 graduate of Prairie View A&M, McClelland earned his bachelors degree in accounting and in 1997 received an MBA from Prairie View. He is scheduled to receive his doctorate degree in higher education administration from Texas A&M University in December 2007.

A native of Jackson, Miss., McClellands extra-curricular affi liations include membership in the Prairie View A&M University National Alumni Association, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Phi Beta Lambda and the National Association of Black Accountants.

McClelland most recent appointment was to the NCAA Management Council for a term of 4 years. Among other responsibilities, the Management Council is responsible for establishing direct general policy, the strategic plan for the NCAA, and adopts administrative bylaws and regulations.

McClelland also serves on the board of directors of the Houston Touchdown Club where he is currently serving a two-year term as president of the organization. He was recently re-elected by fellow SWAC athletic directors to serve as chairman of the SWAC Council of Athletic Directors for another (2) year term.

Rick Holden begins his eighteenth year as a member of the Texas Southern University Athletics Department and his twelfth year as senior associate athletics director.

Holdens primary responsibilities include the oversight and management of the fi scal and business operations of the Athletics Department. He is also responsible for issuing athletic aid to student athletes and securing playing venues for off-campus athletic events when Texas Southern is the host team.

A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Holden received his bachelors degree and masters degree from Texas Southern University in 1971 and 1973. Holden was a four-year letterman in football and began coaching football in the late 1970s, and continued into the early 1980s.

In addition to his duties as an athletics administrator, Holden is a professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology.

Holden is married to the former Miss TSU, Tanya Lott. They have two sons, Byron and William, and a daughter, Teal.

In 1996, Cheryl Renea Steward was hired as an academic advisor with Texas Southern Universitys GUAC Department. She was assigned to the Academic Enhancement Center for Student Athletes as a part of the Universitys and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) initiative for increasing the academic performance of student athletes.

During her tenure, she has been a driving force in the tremendous growth of the student athletes graduation rate. In 2004, USA Today awarded Texas Southern University $20,000 for its signifi cant graduation rate increase.

She received a bachelor of brts degree in Sociology from Dillard University and a baster of education in Counseling from Prairie View A&M University.

Ms. Steward is an active member of her church, the chairwoman of the SWAC Academic Counselors Committee, a member of the National Academic Advising Association and the Texas Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education.

She is also very committed to the development of the total student and serves on various committees at the university such as the Student Equity and Welfare Committee, the Homecoming Steering Committee and as University chaperone for Miss Texas Southern University.

In fall of 2003, Ms. Steward was appointed the director of the Academic Enhancement Center for Student Athletes and looks forward to expanding its scope of services.

Rodney Bush enters his fourth year as Texas Southern University sports information director. His background is in broadcast journalism. He worked as a news producer or executive producer for 16 years in various news departments across the country. His journalism journey includes stints in Houston, Texas; Tampa, Florida; Greensboro, North Carolina; and Norfolk, Virginia. Locally, Mr. Bush worked at KTRK 13 Eyewitness News and KRIV Fox 26 News.

He attended Texas Southern University in the early 80s and played alto saxophone in the Ocean of Soul marching band. He transferred to Angelo State University and earned his degree in Political Science (1991) while working as a producer at KLST-TV.

Mr. Bush is an active member of Holman Street Baptist Church, where he serves as manager of the Video/Audio Ministry, and he is an adult counselor in the Youth Discipleship Ministry (YDM). He also works with The Third Ward Youth Sports Association and served on the Advisory board for the Salvation Army in Greensboro, NC.

Mr. Bush is married to Stephanie. They have three children, Cassandra, Jordan and Danielle.