Valley City (CSi- VCSU)   Valley City State named the school’s next Athletic Director, and VCSU’s head Women’s Basketball Coach.

Women’s Basketball coach Jill DeVries has been named the school’s next athletic director.

DeVries, who was set to begin her 18th season coaching at VCSU, officially starts her athletic director duties on Aug. 21. She will be responsible for the development, administration, vision and leadership of the men’s and women’s athletic programs at VCSU. DeVries is the first female athletic director in school history. She has worked as an assistant athletic director since 2007.

VCSU President, Tisa Mason Says, “Jill’s unquestioned dedication to VCSU and prior experience as assistant athletic director are great assets as she steps into her new role.  We’re excited for the stability she will provide, but also the great ideas she has to advance our athletic department and our university. Throughout her 17 years on campus Jill has demonstrated a commitment to the total student-athlete experience and graduating high-quality students. Her teams have consistently achieved high levels of success on the court but have also been among the top academic women’s basketball teams in the nation. Jill’s insistence on student success and achieving the right balance between academics and athletics makes her the right fit for Viking athletics.”

Vanessa Keeler-Johnson has been hired as VCSU head women’s basketball coach.  She takes over for DeVries, who was recently promoted to athletic director after 17 years coaching the Vikings.

DeVries says,“We are so pleased that Vanessa has agreed to lead our women’s basketball program. “She was a fierce competitor as a player and is an outstanding teacher of the game. She has experience at all levels as a player, assistant coach and a head coach. I believe she will be a tremendous asset to our department and the women’s basketball program. We look forward to working with Vanessa toward her goals of winning conference championships and giving our student-athletes a positive VCSU experience both athletically and academically.”