Bowling Green State University Athletics
Richard Bouknight Named Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Operations at BGSU
June 17, 2026 | General
Bouknight Joins Bowling Green After Seven Years At College Of Charleston
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Bowling Green State University Vice President for Athletics Strategy Derek van der Merwe has announced the hiring of Richard Bouknight as BGSU's new Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Operations at BGSU. Bouknight will start in his new position on Monday, June 22.
Bouknight joins the Falcons with over 15 years of experience in college athletics, including the past seven years at the College of Charleston. He most recently served as Associate AD for External Operations, a role he assumed in 2023 after serving as Assistant AD for Event Operations and Facilities beginning in 2021. Bouknight originally joined the Cougars in 2019 as Director of Event Operations and Facilities and steadily advanced into senior leadership roles during his tenure.Â
"We are excited to welcome Richard Bouknight to the athletics team at Bowling Green State University," said van der Merwe. "Richard comes to us with a wealth of experience in college athletics. As we continue to grow momentum, our values of incredible fan experience, creative engagement and personal storytelling are more important than ever. Richard's experience and expertise in these areas made him stand out as a candidate and I am excited to work alongside him as he leads our external operations unit to new and creative heights!"Â
"I'm incredibly grateful to Derek van der Merwe and the search committee for this opportunity to join Bowling Green State University and its outstanding athletics department," said Bouknight. "Bowling Green has a proud tradition, strong leadership and a clear vision for the future.Â
"I look forward to serving our coaches, student-athletes, alumni and fans while building meaningful relationships across the university and throughout the community. It's an exciting time to be a Falcon, and I'm thrilled to get started!"
At the College of Charleston, Bouknight served on the Athletics Senior Leadership Team with oversight of all external facing units, including Event Management, Facilities, Multimedia, Equipment, Ticketing, Marketing, Communications and Concessions. He also served as sport administrator for men's and women's soccer. During his tenure with CofC, Bouknight helped lead a period of significant growth across external operations, including expanded content strategy, increased revenue generation and enhanced philanthropic engagement.Â
On the creative video side, Bouknight was a key piece in a creative strategy that generated over six million views in 2024-25 before doubling to over 12 million in 2025-26, the highest in the athletic department's history. The growth marked a 566-percent increase from the 2022-23, enhancing the Cougars' brand visibility, strengthening recruiting impact and elevating overall social engagement.Â
From a revenue generation standpoint, Bouknight supported initiatives that contributed to record-setting performance in overall ticket sales, concessions and facility rental revenue. Men's basketball ticket revenue surpassed $1 million for the first time in program history, while concessions revenue increased 31-percent and facility rental revenue by 201-percent. He also helped support a fundraising effort that generated more than $380,000 in new philanthropic revenue for men's soccer since 2023.
Prior to Charleston, Bouknight spent nine years at South Carolina in a variety of external operations roles, including Event Management & Facilities (2012-19), Ticketing (2011-12) and Grounds (2010-11).
Bouknight joins the Falcons with over 15 years of experience in college athletics, including the past seven years at the College of Charleston. He most recently served as Associate AD for External Operations, a role he assumed in 2023 after serving as Assistant AD for Event Operations and Facilities beginning in 2021. Bouknight originally joined the Cougars in 2019 as Director of Event Operations and Facilities and steadily advanced into senior leadership roles during his tenure.Â
"We are excited to welcome Richard Bouknight to the athletics team at Bowling Green State University," said van der Merwe. "Richard comes to us with a wealth of experience in college athletics. As we continue to grow momentum, our values of incredible fan experience, creative engagement and personal storytelling are more important than ever. Richard's experience and expertise in these areas made him stand out as a candidate and I am excited to work alongside him as he leads our external operations unit to new and creative heights!"Â
"I'm incredibly grateful to Derek van der Merwe and the search committee for this opportunity to join Bowling Green State University and its outstanding athletics department," said Bouknight. "Bowling Green has a proud tradition, strong leadership and a clear vision for the future.Â
"I look forward to serving our coaches, student-athletes, alumni and fans while building meaningful relationships across the university and throughout the community. It's an exciting time to be a Falcon, and I'm thrilled to get started!"
At the College of Charleston, Bouknight served on the Athletics Senior Leadership Team with oversight of all external facing units, including Event Management, Facilities, Multimedia, Equipment, Ticketing, Marketing, Communications and Concessions. He also served as sport administrator for men's and women's soccer. During his tenure with CofC, Bouknight helped lead a period of significant growth across external operations, including expanded content strategy, increased revenue generation and enhanced philanthropic engagement.Â
On the creative video side, Bouknight was a key piece in a creative strategy that generated over six million views in 2024-25 before doubling to over 12 million in 2025-26, the highest in the athletic department's history. The growth marked a 566-percent increase from the 2022-23, enhancing the Cougars' brand visibility, strengthening recruiting impact and elevating overall social engagement.Â
From a revenue generation standpoint, Bouknight supported initiatives that contributed to record-setting performance in overall ticket sales, concessions and facility rental revenue. Men's basketball ticket revenue surpassed $1 million for the first time in program history, while concessions revenue increased 31-percent and facility rental revenue by 201-percent. He also helped support a fundraising effort that generated more than $380,000 in new philanthropic revenue for men's soccer since 2023.
Prior to Charleston, Bouknight spent nine years at South Carolina in a variety of external operations roles, including Event Management & Facilities (2012-19), Ticketing (2011-12) and Grounds (2010-11).
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