Three years ago, Austin Peay athletic director Derek van der Merwe was hired away by his own schoolβs president. His new title β vice president for advancement, communication and strategic initiatives β was as long as it was important to the Clarksville, Tennessee, university.
Van der Merwe is returning to athletics, this time with a shorter title β and, if itβs possible, an even bigger challenge.
Arizona has hired van der Merwe as the athletic departmentβs first-ever chief operating officer, the school announced Tuesday. He will assist athletic director Dave Heeke in the running of day-to-day operations. Itβs a reunion of sorts for Heeke and van der Merwe, who previously worked together at Central Michigan.
βI am humbled by Daveβs belief in me as this is an incredible opportunity to be a part of an athletics department and university on the rise,β van der Merwe said.
Heeke said: βDerek was on staff at CMU when I became the AD, and I quickly came to understand his incredible skill set. He was tracking to be an AD, and then he was (Austin Peayβs) sitting AD for two years, then the president at Austin Peay identified him as an incredible star and brought him onto her team.
βIβm thrilled to have him back, to be working together with him.β
Van der Merweβs hiring is the latest step in the UA athletic departmentβs reorganization under Heeke, who replaced Greg Byrne as athletic director 15 months ago. The new COO joins an executive staff that includes senior associate athletic directors Erika Barnes, James Francis, Mike Ketcham, Ross Cobb, Suzy Mason and Krystal Swindlehurst.
Swindlehurst, another new hire, is in charge of human resources and strategic planning. Barnes will become an executive senior associate AD, Heeke said, and will directly oversee fundraising and development, academics and life skills as she continues to serve as the UAβs senior woman administrator.
Van der Merweβs time in university administration is unique, Heeke admitted, but valued.
βThat kind of experience, we need more of that in athletics,β he said. βToo often, athletics is viewed as off on an island. Those who understand the connectivity to the overall university mission β¦ and how that works, we need more of those types of individuals in athletics.
βAthletics is just another unit on the campus. We may be more visible at times, but weβre no more important than any other unit. Derek, he understands those pieces, but also the uniqueness of athletics.β
The son of a South African minister and a missionary, van der Merwe (pronounced van de meer) was born in Polokwane, South Africa, during Apartheid, a time of forced racial segregation. His father spoke out against the practice, and the family eventually relocated to Holly, Michigan.
An aspiring Olympic powerlifter, van der Merwe joined his high schoolβs football team as a senior, then walked on at Central Michigan. He was given an athletic scholarship after his freshman year, and rose to become a standout lineman and team captain.
After college, van der Merwe served as Central Michiganβs academic advisor before working his way to deputy athletic director and COO.
Van der Merwe spent five years at Austin Peay, the last three as the schoolβs vice president. At APSU, he worked to establish and strengthen the universityβs brand. The school unveiled a new visual identity in 2014, emphasizing an image of its governor namesake.
Heeke said he doesnβt anticipate a change in Arizonaβs visual identify, noting that βwe do a really good job here.β Van der Merwe will instead focus on helping run a department with 300 employees and even more student-athletes.
βWe work well together,β Heeke said, βand I thought he would be an excellent complement to the team that we have.β
