St. Olaf names Kelly Mahlum as athletic director
St. Olaf President Susan Rundell Singer has announced the appointment of Kelly Mahlum as the college’s next athletic director.
Mahlum, who has served as the interim athletic director since last summer, has more than 30 years of experience in higher education athletic administration and holds a master’s degree in athletic administration from St. Cloud State University. Her work has centered on inspiring students, coaches, and staff to achieve their personal best, both on and off the athletic playing field.
“Kelly’s extensive experience, combined with her deep dedication to Ole Athletics, make her a great fit for this role,” Rundell Singer says. “The future is bright for Ole Athletics, and I’m excited to see where her leadership takes us.”
“Kelly’s extensive experience, combined with her deep dedication to Ole Athletics, make her a great fit for this role. The future is bright for Ole Athletics, and I’m excited to see where her leadership takes us.”
— President Susan Rundell Singer
Mahlum came to St. Olaf in 2020 to serve as the head women’s basketball coach, and within just a few years she led the team to its best overall and conference record since 2015. In 2023 she became St. Olaf’s deputy athletic director and senior woman administrator, playing a key role in supporting 24 sports programs, 75 staff members, and 600 student-athletes. In her role with St. Olaf Athletics, Mahlum oversees all Title IX and gender equity components of the department, as well as all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. She has also coordinated student-athlete programming, co-advised the Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB), and served on all head coach search committees.
“Thank you to the search committee and to President Rundell Singer for believing in my leadership abilities. I am very honored to continue at St. Olaf in this role. St. Olaf is truly a special place. I believe in St. Olaf and what we value on this campus: an engaged and inclusive community, a commitment to academic pursuit, and teaching students to invest in persistence,” Mahlum says. “I am eager to continue to make a positive impact on Ole Athletics. Our goal is to consistently be competing for championships, and we have great people in athletics to help get us there.”
A former Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) student-athlete at the College of Saint Benedict, where she majored in art, Kelly came to St. Olaf following a decade at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. In addition to her role as the head basketball coach, she also served as the athletic facility director and campus recreation director at Wittenberg. Prior to that she was the head women’s basketball coach and assistant athletic director at Bard College; the head women’s basketball coach and assistant intramural director at Colorado College; and held coaching roles in women’s basketball, softball, and volleyball at Greensboro College, Randolph-Macon College, and St. Cloud State University.
As Mahlum takes on this role, she will be building on the strong foundation left behind by former St. Olaf Athletic Director Ryan Bowles, who died from cancer in 2024.