Oct. 5, 2012
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Colorado State director of athletics Jack Graham announced Friday the appointment of Steve Cottingham as senior associate athletic director for business operations/chief financial officer. Cottingham was the director of athletics at Marquette from 2008-11 after serving as the department's interim director since January 2007.
Cottingham will be responsible for day-to-day business operations for the department which includes developing, reporting and managing the department's operating budget.
As Marquette's director of athletics, Cottingham oversaw the school's 14 intercollegiate sports and coaching staffs. He also supervised the management of the intercollegiate athletics team that handled the administrative functions of the department including fiscal operations, media relations, facilities, fundraising, ticket sales and marketing.
Overall, Cottingham spent 16 years at Marquette, the first 12 as part of the university's administrative leadership team. He served as associate senior vice president from 2003-07, and in that time acquired a proven track record of strategic planning and sound fiscal management with the athletic department budget.
Cottingham's efforts in Marquette's move to the Big East Conference were vital and helped elevate the program's profile on a national level. He also worked to reinvent the internal structure, joining forces with athletic fundraising to increase annual giving to record levels.
Prior to that post, Cottingham was Marquette's associate general counsel from 1995-2003. He had previously been in private practice, specializing in corporate transactions, including the buying and selling of businesses, and securities law.
He earned his undergraduate degree at Wisconsin in 1983 and received his law degree from George Washington University in 1987.
Cottingham and his wife, Lisa, have three children: Taira, Joe, and Alyssa.