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On Monday, Aug. 14, two new faces will be serving in pivotal positions at the prestigious Rice University.

Melinda Spaulding Chevalier will be serving as Rice’s vice president for public affairs and Tommy McClelland will officially start his new role as the university’s director of athletics.

Spaulding Chevalier, the former KRIV Fox 26 anchor who most recently served as vice president of communications and advancement at Texas Southern University and executive director of the TSU Foundation, will now lead efforts to elevate Rice’s visibility, reputation and relationships in Houston — statewide, nationally and internationally.

“Throughout her career, Melinda has garnered and leveraged public trust and accountability for data-driven results,” President Reginald DesRoches said. “She is a collaborative and innovative expert in media, higher education and nonprofit organizations. A veteran in journalism, multimedia strategy, stakeholder engagement, corporate events, fundraising and government relations, Melinda has served executive and cabinet-level boards and as a chief spokesperson, ambassador, public affairs leader and trusted adviser.”

She will head the more than 35-member team that serves the university in various critical areas, including creative services, government relations, marketing and digital communications, multicultural community relations, news and media relations and university relations.

“I’m honored to join President DesRoches and the Rice leadership team during an exciting time in the university’s history,” Spaulding Chevalier said. “I look forward to working collaboratively with the talented public affairs staff and all campus stakeholders to strategically drive increased awareness of the world-class Rice brand and cultivating critical government and community partnerships.”

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McClelland previously served as deputy athletic director at Vanderbilt University. Prior to Vanderbilt, McClelland was director of athletics at Louisiana Tech from 2013 to 2020.

DesRoches announced the news about selecting McClelland in late July.

“We’re thrilled to be able to attract someone with Tommy’s breadth of experience and success,” DesRoches said. “He brings the values of academic excellence and deep integrity that define Rice, coupled with a passionate desire to compete successfully at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics. These attributes will be critical for Rice’s first season in the American Athletic Conference and the years to follow.”

McClelland is taking over for former athletic director Joe Karlgaard, who left Rice last month for a position in the private sector.

“I am incredibly grateful to President DesRoches, the search committee and the Board of Trustees for the opportunity to serve as vice president and director of athletics at Rice University,” McClelland said. “My family and I are thrilled to join the Rice family and the Houston community.”

At Vanderbilt, McClelland provided oversight of the transformational Vandy United campaign.

The largest athletics fundraising campaign in school history, Vandy United has raised over $300 million to support the construction of new and renovated athletic facilities at the university. As the deputy athletic director overseeing external affairs and revenue generation, McClelland plays a critical role in fundraising and planning the projects, while also overseeing the football program and directing the Commodores’ marketing and promotional efforts, ticket operations and sales, fan engagement and hospitality, broadcasting and Learfield partnership.

 McClelland joined Vanderbilt in 2020 after a landmark term as director of athletics at Louisiana Tech, which he led since 2013. Athletics at the Louisiana Tech program thrived under his leadership, underpinned by his philosophy of building champions on the playing fields, in the classrooms and in life. During McClelland’s  time at Louisiana Tech, the university experienced its most impressive run since the 1970s. The Bulldogs boasted postseason appearances by football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball, golf and track and field, including six straight bowl wins. He achieved similar success with men’s basketball, winning 20 in seven out of the eight seasons (including a 121-11 record at home) and a pair of regular season conference titles.

While leading Louisiana Tech into its Conference USA era, McClelland impacted the athletics department through fundraising, facility improvements, coaching hires and overall student-athlete development.

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