Lake Forest College Director of Athletics and Senior Advisor to the President Jackie Slaats recently announced that Blake Theisen has been promoted to Associate Director of Athletics and Heather Noll, in addition to continuing as the Foresters' head volleyball coach, will add Assistant Director of Athletics to her role at the College.
The position changes were effective November 1.
Theisen came to the College in 2012 as the Athletic Programming Coordinator and, in 2015, was promoted to Assistant Director of Athletics. During his tenure at the College, his duties have included coordinating the Forester Athletic Network (F.A.N. Club), athletic alumni engagement, faculty and staff fitness programming, and the webcasting of Forester Athletic contests. He has also been involved with many of the day-to-day operations of the department.
"Blake has proven over time to be an incredibly valuable member of our department," noted Slaats. "After coming here five years ago with limited collegiate administrative experience, Blake has gradually taken on more and more responsibilities and has consistently fulfilled them with a high level of performance and professionalism. We take great pride in the numerous initiatives and events we coordinate here in the Athletic Department and his hard work and attention to detail has been a key component in their success."
Noll, whose teams have posted a 32-26 record in Midwest Conference play over the last six seasons, has also served as advisor for the Lake Forest Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Athletic Council, and Forester Fanatics. In addition, she has assumed several leadership roles on the coaching staff and across campus. Noll has twice earned the College's Student Organization Advisor of the Year honors and, under her direction, the Foresters' Athletic Council has been named Student Organization of the Year.
"Heather has also contributed significantly to many of our accomplishments as a department in recent years," commented Slaats. "The active participation in our athletics-related student organizations is better than ever and, as a leader on the coaching staff, she has positively impacted several areas of our department. I look forward to her continued success as a coach and administrator."
"Heather and Blake are young professionals who have taken advantage of their opportunities at the College," continued Slaats. "As someone who believes strongly in the importance of mentorship, I couldn't be happier or more proud to recognize their effort and performance with these promotions."