CHAPEL HILL– UNC senior associate director of athletics Karlton Creech will be moving to Maine to accept the director of athletics position at the University of Maine.

On Feb. 10, the Chapel Hill native will officially be taking over as the chief of Black Bear Athletics.

Maine President Paul Ferguson says Creech’s “level of professionalism, coupled to his strong experience in fundraising and management will move [the athletic program] to new levels of excellence and community engagement.”

Creech’s three-year contract will pay $175,000 per year. Creech calls the job an awesome opportunity and he says he has been impressed by all the people he met during his visit to Orono, Maine.

“Everybody I met was warm and welcoming and the tremendous sense of pride about the University of Maine and the state of Maine really came through loud and clear,” Creech says.

Since 2012, Creech served as UNC’s senior associate AD. His job was to oversee the department’s capital projects, human resources and facilities. From 2004 to 2012, he held the position of associate executive director of UNC’s Educational Foundation, Inc. where he managed the $88 million expansion of Kenan Stadium.