After admitting to “demographic gaps” in its advisory committee to help choose the next University of Hawaii athletic director, the school announced on Thursday that former UH football star Ashley Lelie has agreed to be added to the group.
The original committee to select a replacement for the retiring David Matlin was appointed by UH president David Lassner and received public blow-back, including from prominent figures such as Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and former UH coach June Jones.
“The attention being drawn to this search advisory committee is unprecedented,” Lassner said in a statement. “We hope that all of those showing passion are also encouraging every qualified applicant they know to apply. Our student athletes, the university and the community will benefit from the best competitive pool of highly qualified candidates. And we trust that those with the greatest passion will rally together to support the success of our next athletic director, which is the success of our student athletes and the only major athletic program within 2,000 miles of the people of Hawaii.”
Lelie, who is Black, was a three-sport standout at Radford High School and starred at wide receiver for the Rainbow Warriors from 1999 to 2001. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 2002 NFL Draft and remains the only UH player to be selected in the first round.
After seven seasons in the NFL, Lelie served as an assistant football coach at the University of Nevada and Alabama A&M and as a student manager at UH when he returned to Hawaii to finish his degree.
Lelie earned his bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s in business administration at UH Manoa, where he is currently nearing completion of a Master of Science degree in tropical plant &soil sciences. He is a successful businessman in egg production and nursery crops on Oahu.
“Ashley was recommended by a UH faculty member who had been following the news about the committee,” Lassner said in a statement. “I was delighted to meet him and he indicated he would be honored to serve.”
The addition of Lelie came as a result of public outcry.
A petition signed by former student-athletes, including Blangiardi and Jones, was delivered to Lassner on March 3. The school responded by saying it would review “the gaps … with consideration of a modest expansion of (the committee’s) membership.”
The petition was drafted and circulated by former UH basketball player, basketball TV analyst and radio host Artie Wilson. It followed a Star-Advertiser “Island Voices” article on Feb. 23 written by Jones, in which he wrote the committee was lacking in ethnic diversity, specifically Black and Polynesian members.
Lelie will join the the other committee members. They are Michael Bruno, UH Manoa provost; Susan Eichor, AIO president and chief operating officer; Laura Beeman, UH women’s basketball head coach; Albert D.K. Chee, vice president of retail marketing &community relations for Island Energy and former chair, ‘Ahahui Koa Anuenue; Sabrina McKenna, Hawaii Supreme Court associate justice and former UH student athlete; Scott Sinnett, UH Manoa faculty athletics representative and professor of psychology, and Charlie Wade, UH men’s volleyball head coach.
Today is the deadline to submit applications for best consideration, according to UH. Applications beyond the deadline will continue to be accepted until the position is filled. After today, the eight-person search advisory committee will begin reviewing applications and determine potential interviews, scheduled to take place in March and April. The committee will present Lassner a short list of finalists, and he is expected to make a recommendation to the Board of Regents at the May 18 board meeting.
