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  John Lambert

By CHRISTINE VIDAL

Published: February 16, 2012

John Lambert, senior associate athletic director, will serve as interim athletic director of the Division of Athletics, effective March 14.

Lambert succeeds Warde Manuel, who earlier this week was appointed athletic director at the University of Connecticut, beginning in March.

UB is launching a national search, and expects to name a permanent athletic director within three months.

“I am grateful to John for his willingness to serve in this important role in an interim capacity and I extend my thanks and appreciation to Warde and the entire Division of Athletics team for their continuing commitment to our university’s vision of excellence,” President Satish K. Tripathi said in announcing Lambert’s appointment.

“Warde’s exceptional leadership over the past six years and the ongoing efforts and dedication of the entire UB athletics leadership team have set our university’s intercollegiate athletics program on a clear course of excellence. Thanks in large part to this strong leadership, we are also very well positioned to attract outstanding candidates in this national search.”

Lambert joined the university in 1996 and currently leads the athletics division’s development effort after several successful years overseeing its external relations operation. Among his many substantial contributions to the university and its athletics program over the years, he was instrumental in the department’s move to Division I-A and the Mid-American Conference, created a highly successful endowed scholarship program within the athletics division and has helped to guide a number of significant capital projects to fruition.

He has been recognized widely for his professional achievements, earning many system-wide and national awards, including being named Division I-A Marketer of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators in 2001. Within the Western New York region, he serves on the boards of The Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame and The Buffalo Niagara Sports Commission.

Nationally, he is an active member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the National Association of Athletic Development Directors.

Lambert lives in Amherst with his wife, Kelly; daughter, Lindsey, who is a junior at UB; and son, Dylan, a freshman at Williamsville North High School.