KENOSHA, Wis. – Director of Athletics Andrew Gavin has earned the Future 5 Young Professionals Award from YLink, Kenosha County's young professional organization which is managed by the Kenosha Area Business Alliance (KABA).
 
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The Future 5 is given to people in the Kenosha Area who are positively influencing the quality of life in the area through their community involvement, professional achievements, leadership and inspiring vision for the future of Kenosha. Gavin will be officially honored with this prestigious honor on Thursday, April 25 in a ceremony at The Stella Hotel & Ballroom. The other honorees include Katie Chada (Aurora Health Care), Tyler Cochran (Kenosha Police Department), Alex Kudrna (Backyard Dream Studios / The O Co-Working Space), and Jackie Schmit (Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha). Schmit is a UW-Parkside alumnae and currently serves as a volunteer assistant coach for Parkside Softball.
 
"I'm humbled to be nominated and recognized as a recipient of this honor alongside these positive leaders, and I thank KABA and YLink for their commitment to our community," Gavin said. "I feel very fortunate to be at UW-Parkside and serving Parkside Athletics at an exciting time of collaboration, progress, and student success on our campus, and being associated with this event is an opportunity to tell our story and highlight the impact of our student-athletes and staff."
 
Gavin, who was named the Director of Athletics in August of 2017, has brought new life to the Parkside athletic department and its 15 varsity sport programs. Some of the major achievements Gavin has orchestrated in his short time at Parkside include guiding the Rangers to become a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and overseeing significant facility projects, including the renovation and dedication of the Jim Koch Wrestling Center and Duane McLean '86 Sports Leadership Center.
 
Under Gavin's leadership, Parkside Athletics has created the Ranger Impact Fund to promote philanthropic giving to the athletics department. The department has undergone an extensive staff restructuring, with Gavin hiring 30 new employees, including 14 brand new graduate positions and three head coaches.
 
Gavin launched the Parkside Athletics Corporate Partners Program, which has fostered 20 mutually-beneficial partnerships with businesses and local organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Kenosha YMCA, is currently participating in the KABA Non-Profit Board Prep Program, and is an active member of Great Lakes Church.  
 
"Congratulations to Andrew on being recognized as one of KABA's Future 5 young professional leaders!" Chancellor Deborah Ford said. "We are lucky to have Andrew in the community and at UW-Parkside leading Ranger Athletics. I am impressed by the impact he has made since joining UW-Parkside in August 2017, and by his inspiring vision for Ranger Athletics.  He is leading UW-Parkside to new heights!"
 
The Future 5 Young Professional awards is the signature annual event for YPWeek and YLink. Registration is currently open for the event, which is open to the entire community and includes unlimited food and drink. For more information on the event and registration, click here.