Mark Shook, a veteran athletic administrator and academic-support specialist, has been appointed Hanover’s vice president for athletics.
Shook comes to Hanover after serving as vice president of intercollegiate athletics and director of athletics for three years at Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC), a NCAA Division II school in Owensboro, Ky. While at KWC, he also served as senior associate athletics director for internal operations from September 2019-June 2021 and was interim athletic director for six months before ascending to the role.
During his time at Kentucky Wesleyan, he initiated efforts to improve individual and team academic performance, enhanced mental-health training opportunities for staff and student-athletes, increased community-service outreach and established the Great Midwest Athletic Conference’s first name, image and likeness program. As chief athletics fundraiser, he led efforts to create a comprehensive plan for KWC athletics, improve all sports facilities, establish corporate sponsorships, rebrand the booster club and bolster annual giving.
Shook is a three-time participant in the invitation-only Collegiate Athletics Leadership Symposium and has twice attended the Business of Small College Athletics Leadership Academy. His professional development also includes participation in the NCAA Pathway Program (2020-21), InitiativeOne™ Leadership Institute transformation program (2016-17) and Sports Management Institute’s executive program (2012-13).
He holds numerous industry memberships, including the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals and National Association for Athletics Compliance, among others. He has served as a member of the NCAA Division II Baseball Committee, NCAA Division II Reasonable Standards Committee and the NCAA Division II Baseball Regional Advisory Committee.
Prior to joining the administrative staff at Kentucky Wesleyan, Shook worked in varied student-athlete academic support roles at the University of Wisconsin (2014-19), Bowling Green State University (2006-14), Purdue University (2002-06) and Ohio State University (2001-02)
Before entering intercollegiate athletics, he was an integrated science instructor, varsity baseball coach and assistant football coach at Lexington (Ohio) High School from 1995-2002. He previously taught at Orrville (Ohio) junior and senior high schools from 1992-95.
Shook earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education at Bowling Green State and holds a Master of Education in sport education from Ashland University.
