After a national search and interviewing three candidates on campus, Lewis-Clark State College has named Ronnie Palmer its new athletic director, college administrators announced on Monday.
Palmer, the former athletic director at Post University in Waterbury, Connecticut, will officially begin on Aug. 12.
“We are very excited to welcome Ronnie Palmer,” LC State President Cynthia Pemberton said. “He joins an incredibly accomplished and ambitious athletics department and we’re confident he has the experience and expertise to lead it to continued excellence.”
Palmer served as athletic director at Post University from 2015-2024 where he oversaw 19 intercollegiate programs competing in NCAA Division II. From 2010-2015, he served as athletic director at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia, overseeing 14 programs competing in Division II. Prior to this, Palmer was head baseball coach at Davis and Elkins from 2007-2014, and athletic director and head baseball coach at Salem Community College in Carneys Point, New Jersey, from 2003-2007.
Palmer earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health from Davis and Elkins and a master’s in education at American Intercontinental University.
At LC State, Palmer will be charged with leading 13 intercollegiate athletic NAIA programs, many of which are consistently ranked in the top 25 nationally. LC State also hosts the Avista NAIA World Series, one of the NAIA’s premier national championship events.
“I am deeply grateful to President Pemberton, chair of the committee Sr. Vice President [Andy] Hanson, the search committee, the dedicated athletic coaches and staff, as well as the WAA for granting me this tremendous opportunity to join and contribute to Lewis-Clark State athletics,” said Palmer. “The rich history of student-athletes’ and teams’ achievements is both inspiring and humbling, and I am honored to be part of such a storied tradition. I eagerly look forward to stepping on campus and collaborating with all of them to further elevate the legacy of Warrior athletics.”
Palmer replaces Brooke Henze who stepped down over the summer after seven years in the role and 18 years at LC State.