MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (August 4, 2017) – West Virginia University Director of Athletics Shane Lyons has announced the hiring of Simon Dover as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Business Operations and Chief Financial Officer.
With more than 25 years of leadership experience within intercollegiate athletics and professional sports and entertainment, Dover will direct the overall management and operations of the business office, including payroll and benefits, travel, accounts payable, procurement, budget management and control, account reconciliation and inventory control.
He will also be responsible for developing a long-term capital plan for athletics, assist with the financing of deferred maintenance for facilities and manage requests with the University Planning Committee.
Dover will be the athletic department’s administrator for specified service contracts and prepare and present financial reports to ensure compliance with reporting standards of the NCAA and the U.S. Department of Education.
“Simon has an extensive background in managing an athletic business office and dealing with the day-to-day finances and challenges of a collegiate athletic program,” Lyons said. “We are entering a very important time for our department as we look for continued growth and improvement on a national level. His financial management and leadership in that area will be vital.”
Dover comes to West Virginia after spending the past three years as the chief financial and operating officer at Rice University. As a senior associate athletic director with the Owls, Dover directed the finances for 16 athletic teams, 95 staff members and more than 360 student-athletes. He managed all financial planning budget development, human resources and contracts for the Owls, designed a zero-based budgeting model for the department and negotiated the contract for the upcoming Rice football game in Australia vs. Stanford.
Prior to his tenure at Rice, Dover spent 16 years in various capacities at Oakland University, eventually becoming senior associate athletic director in 2011. At Oakland, he managed all facets of the department’s financial affairs and created its first strategic plan and management system. In his time at Oakland he administered 16 of the Golden Grizzlies 18 sports.
Dover also spent seven years with Palace Sports and Entertainment in Auburn Hills, Michigan, where he helped manage the financial affairs of the Detroit Pistons and The Palace of Auburn Hills. Before his involvement in sports, Dover served as a staff accountant with Edwards, Koshiw & Associates in Troy, Michigan, form 1988-91.
"I want to thank Shane Lyons, Keli Zinn and the athletic leadership team for this wonderful opportunity,” Dover said. “On my visit to campus, I could feel the passion and pride in being a Mountaineer, and my family and I are excited to become part of the Morgantown community. I look forward to contributing to a positive student-athlete experience at West Virginia, and I can't wait to start."
A native of Rochester, Michigan, Dover is a 1988 graduate of Oakland with a bachelor's degree in accounting, and he received his master's degree in finance in 1998 from Walsh College. He and his wife, Janice, have two children, Harrison and Haley.
Dover will begin his duties at West Virginia on Sept. 6 after managing Rice’s football trip and season opener in Australia.
With more than 25 years of leadership experience within intercollegiate athletics and professional sports and entertainment, Dover will direct the overall management and operations of the business office, including payroll and benefits, travel, accounts payable, procurement, budget management and control, account reconciliation and inventory control.
He will also be responsible for developing a long-term capital plan for athletics, assist with the financing of deferred maintenance for facilities and manage requests with the University Planning Committee.
Dover will be the athletic department’s administrator for specified service contracts and prepare and present financial reports to ensure compliance with reporting standards of the NCAA and the U.S. Department of Education.
“Simon has an extensive background in managing an athletic business office and dealing with the day-to-day finances and challenges of a collegiate athletic program,” Lyons said. “We are entering a very important time for our department as we look for continued growth and improvement on a national level. His financial management and leadership in that area will be vital.”
Dover comes to West Virginia after spending the past three years as the chief financial and operating officer at Rice University. As a senior associate athletic director with the Owls, Dover directed the finances for 16 athletic teams, 95 staff members and more than 360 student-athletes. He managed all financial planning budget development, human resources and contracts for the Owls, designed a zero-based budgeting model for the department and negotiated the contract for the upcoming Rice football game in Australia vs. Stanford.
Prior to his tenure at Rice, Dover spent 16 years in various capacities at Oakland University, eventually becoming senior associate athletic director in 2011. At Oakland, he managed all facets of the department’s financial affairs and created its first strategic plan and management system. In his time at Oakland he administered 16 of the Golden Grizzlies 18 sports.
Dover also spent seven years with Palace Sports and Entertainment in Auburn Hills, Michigan, where he helped manage the financial affairs of the Detroit Pistons and The Palace of Auburn Hills. Before his involvement in sports, Dover served as a staff accountant with Edwards, Koshiw & Associates in Troy, Michigan, form 1988-91.
"I want to thank Shane Lyons, Keli Zinn and the athletic leadership team for this wonderful opportunity,” Dover said. “On my visit to campus, I could feel the passion and pride in being a Mountaineer, and my family and I are excited to become part of the Morgantown community. I look forward to contributing to a positive student-athlete experience at West Virginia, and I can't wait to start."
A native of Rochester, Michigan, Dover is a 1988 graduate of Oakland with a bachelor's degree in accounting, and he received his master's degree in finance in 1998 from Walsh College. He and his wife, Janice, have two children, Harrison and Haley.
Dover will begin his duties at West Virginia on Sept. 6 after managing Rice’s football trip and season opener in Australia.