Grays Harbor College has filled two key vacancies in the athletic department with the hire of new athletic director Will Rider and success navigator PageCarol Woods.

Rider served as the AD at Gillette College from 2013 to 2016 and has also been serving as the head women’s basketball coach since 2009, winning a regional title in 2016.

Grays Harbor Vice President Jennifer Alt said Rider’s experience building successful sports programs in small towns has her optimistic he can do the same for the Chokers.

“He’s coming from Gillette College in Wyoming which is a small, rural community college and he helped build their athletic program from the ground floor,” she said. “He understands how to work with the community, he understands the small college athletic program. That fits really well with Grays Harbor.”

Rider is in the process of relocating from Wyoming and is hoping to start his first day on the job on Aug. 26.

Woods will assume her role as navigator on Sept. 3 after serving as assistant athletic director at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida for two years.

Woods has experience as an athletic administrator and a collegiate athlete as she swam at West Point and Texas Christian University.

Alt said Wood’s experience as an athlete and administrator will be a good fit for her new role that includes tracking athletes’ eligibility and gameday management.

“She really understands how to help a student athlete through the program successfully as well as in their sport. She understands how to work really well with the coaches to help support them with their athletes,” Alt said. “She also understands that student services side of the house where she knows how to review transcripts and how to help make sure the students are accessing all the support services that they need.”