UMSL named Holly Sheilley its new executive director of athletics. Sheilley, who has spent the past 11 years at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, will succeed retiring Director of Athletics Lori Flanagan and begin her new position on Sept. 18. (Photo courtesy of Transylvania University)
The University of Missouri–St. Louis has selected Transylvania University’s Holly Sheilley to serve as its new executive director of athletics following a nationwide search. She brings more than two decades of experience in college athletics administration with her to the position, which she will assume on Sept. 18.
Sheilley has spent the past 11 years as the vice president for athletics and director of athletics at Transylvania, an NCAA Division III university in Lexington, Kentucky. There, she oversaw a department with 23 NCAA-sponsored teams and three club teams along with a staff of 42 full-time employees, 10 part-time coaches and athletic personnel and more than 500 student-athletes.
Under her leadership, Transylvania has ranked in the top 55 in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings each of the past two years after a top-50 finish in 2019. It sent seven teams to the NCAA Tournament in the 2023-24 academic year. That included a second straight Final Four appearance by the women’s basketball team, which captured the first women’s basketball national championship in school history in 2023.
“We are excited to welcome Holly Sheilley as our new executive director of athletics,” said UMSL Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management and Career Advancement Reggie Hill, who oversees UMSL Athletics. “She is an experienced and accomplished leader who will continue to elevate our athletic department to new heights both within the Great Lakes Valley Conference and on a national level. She will also ensure that our student-athletes excel in their academic pursuits while striving for greater success in competition.”
Sheilley will succeed retiring Director of Athletics Lori Flanagan and take over a department coming off arguably the most successful three-year stretch in UMSL’s history, including back-to-back national semifinal appearances by the volleyball team the past two years, an Elite Eight run by the men’s basketball team in 2023 and an individual national championship won by men’s golfer Joel Sylven in 2022. UMSL student-athletes also set a school record last year when 187 of them earned academic all-conference recognition.
“I am deeply honored by the trust Chancellor Kristin Sobolik and Vice Chancellor Reggie Hill have placed in me to join their exceptional team and to lead this talented group of coaches, staff and student-athletes,” Sheilley said. “I am eager to engage with the dedicated fans and alumni of UMSL and to collaboratively shape the future of our athletics program.
“From the moment I set foot on campus, it was evident that the leadership and community here are passionately dedicated to achieving excellence and are committed to driving continuous growth across all aspects of the university.”
Sheilley was able to grow operational revenue during her time at Transylvania through strategic financial planning and launching initiatives that increased facility rentals, corporate sponsorships and ticket sales. She worked with university advancement and marketing and communications staff to boost fundraising and increase alumni engagement. She also was instrumental in striking a 20-year deal with a minor-league baseball team that allowed the university to use the team’s facilities for practice and all home games.
She has extensive experience in compliance, facilities development, event management and strategic enrollment.
Sheilley spent eight years at the University of Louisville, including four as the assistant compliance coordinator before taking over as the assistant athletic director for championships and student development. In the latter role, she was responsible for developing and managing the process for bidding and hosting championships for 23 sports, including budgeting, marketing and collaborating with Greater Louisville Sports Commission.
She left Louisville in May 2010 to become the assistant director of championships for the NCAA, where she managed four Division I championships – in cross country, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field and rowing – and five Division III championships – in cross country, football, indoor track and field, women’s basketball and outdoor track and field.
During her tenure at Transylvania, Sheilley spent three years as the vice president for enrollment and student life alongside her athletic responsibilities.
She also has been active on a number of NCAA committees and boards, including as a member of the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee, the NCAA Board of Governors and the NCAA Division III Presidents Council and as the chair of the NCAA Division III Management Council.
The position at UMSL will be Sheilley’s first in NCAA Division II.
“While there are certainly distinctions between NCAA Division II and Division III, I have come to realize that these differences pale in comparison to the core principle that remains constant: the student-athlete and their holistic experience,” she said. “Athletics serves as a powerful vehicle, not only for transforming the lives of student-athletes but also for enriching the communities we are proud to serve. This is the essence of what makes our mission so impactful and meaningful.”
Sheilley earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education with a minor in health education from Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. She received a master’s degree in health education at Eastern Kentucky University, and she completed a PhD at the University of Louisville in sport administration in 2004.
