Western Michigan names SMU’s Alex Gary next athletics director

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Western Michigan University President Russ Kavalhuna announced Monday that Alex Gary will become the school’s next vice president and director of athletics, with an introductory press conference set for Oct. 1 in Kalamazoo. Gary arrives from SMU, where he has been deputy AD for external relations since 2025 and previously served five years as AD at Western Carolina. WMU said the hire followed a nationwide search; Gary’s SMU development work included $98.6 million in gifts and commitments in his first year overseeing that operation.