Park University Appoints Kristin Gillette to Lead Pirates Athletics

Oct. 12, 2021 — Park University has announced it has appointed Kristin Gillette to be its next director of athletics following a nationwide search. Gillette will officially begin her role at Park on Thursday, Oct. 28.

Gillette, a resident of Roeland Park, Kan., previously served as associate director of athletics/compliance at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan. She takes over the Pirates athletics programs following the retirement of Claude English in August after a 25½-year stint.

While at MNU, Gillette coordinated long-range plans for athletics, including NAIA compliance, financial aid, staffing, strength and conditioning, academic services and recruiting. She also managed game operations for football, men’s and women’s soccer and basketball, women’s volleyball and competitive cheer, and provided administrative oversight of Heart of America Athletic Conference and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics opening round championships hosted at MNU. In addition, she served as liaison to the Association of Student-Athletes Leadership Council.

Prior to joining MNU, Gillette spent nine years at the NAIA in Kansas City, Mo., serving as the director of Champions of Character for six years and three years managing national championships. While at the NAIA, she created the Champions of Character Live 5 program, an online student-athlete NAIA core values (integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership) training. In addition, she worked with councils and committees focused on the health and well-being of student-athletes, while also working directly with student-athletes in various national programs. Gillette also served as liaison to the NAIA’s Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion Committee from 2009-17 and the New Member Site Visit Committee from 2015-17.

Gillette also spent time as the sports director at the Paul Henson Family YMCA in Prairie Village, Kan., and she served as the girls basketball head coach at The Barstow School in Kansas City, Mo., for two years and an additional two years as a girls basketball assistant coach at The Pembroke Hill School in Kansas City, Mo., helping lead the Raiders to the Missouri Class 3A state championships in 2005 and 2006.

Gillette earned a Master of Arts degree in sports administration from Gonzaga University and a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from William Jewell College. Gillette is a former NAIA student-athlete, playing volleyball and basketball at Hannibal-LaGrange University before transferring to WJC.