CHICAGO (Sept. 3, 2024) – Dr. John E. Coumbe-Lilley, a clinical professor at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and a respected leader within both the UIC community and on the global stage, has been selected to serve as interim director of intercollegiate athletics at UIC, Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda announced Tuesday. Coumbe-Lilley, whose appointment is pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, will lead the Flames' athletics department during its transition period following the departure of former UIC director of intercollegiate athletics Michael Lipitz, who was named to the same role at George Washington University last month.
 
"It's a privilege to steward the UIC Flames through their transition to a new and bright future with an incoming athletics director," Coumbe-Lilley said. "When Chancellor Miranda invited me to support UIC's mission in this role, I was delighted to support our student-athletes, coaches, and all the sports professionals working tirelessly to make our program successful. So far, my experiences have been so much more than I could ever imagine. I want to thank everyone for making me feel welcome and working with me to advance our student-athlete experience."
 
Coumbe-Lilley is no stranger to collaborating with UIC Athletics, successfully completing a term as UIC's Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) from 2017-2020. During his tenure, he played a critical role as the Flames' primary liaison between both the University's campus leadership and its partners within UIC's former conference home, the Horizon League, giving him unique insight into the future opportunities for Flames Athletics.
 
An accomplished educator and researcher with several published works to his credit, Coumbe-Lilley has served as a clinical professor at UIC since 2009, teaching courses in sports injury psychology and recovery, athlete mental health, and professional development. He is also program director for the University's performance, exercise and sports psychology master's concentration (a role he has held since 2021) and has been the co-director of the UIC Applied Sports Injury, Rehabilitation and Education Lab since 2022. In those latter roles, he has done extensive research into emotional recovery from severe injury and trauma, exploring the methods used by medical professionals to improve individual recovery and quality of life following traumatic injuries.
 
Through his scholastic accomplishments, Coumbe-Lilley has received numerous honors. He is a two-time recipient of the College of Applied Health Sciences (CAHS) Educator of the Year award, as well as a 2019 selection for UIC's Silver Circle Award, which is presented annually to some of the University's top educators and is selected by UIC's graduating senior class. He has also earned the Excalibur Award for Teaching Excellence three times, an honor that is chosen annually by the UIC Applied Health Sciences Student Council.
 
In the athletic arena, Coumbe-Lilley has more than 30 years of high-level sports experience on the domestic and international stages as both a participant and a coach/consultant for various national sports organizations. Most notably, he has contributed extensively in the sport of rugby as a member of the Scotland Rugby League Team (until an injury ended his career in 1996), and head coach of the Rugby Canada U20 Women's National Team and technical advisor for the Rugby Canada Women's National Team from 2005-09. He has also been a staff member for USA Rugby for both the Men's and Women's National Team programs (including several World Cup qualifications), USA Curling (prior to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics) and Equine Canada (for the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, as well as the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro).
 
Coumbe-Lilley is a licensed professional counselor and an associate licensed marriage and family therapist. He has additional certifications in mental performance, strength and conditioning and most recently, as a Bronze Level coach with USA Boxing.
 
A dual degree holder from UIC, Coumbe-Lilley earned his master's degree in kinesiology from the University in 2003, as well as his doctorate in education psychology from UIC in 2007. He also holds a bachelor's degree in business sport and recreation management from Crewe and Alsager College (now part of Manchester Metropolitan University in Manchester, England) in 1996, along with a second master's degree in counselor education from Northeastern Illinois University in 2021.

Coumbe-Lilley assumes leadership of a UIC athletics department that posted the best academic results in school history last year, recording a department-wide 3.35 grade-point average (GPA), a program-record 93-percent NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and seeing half of the Flames' 300 scholar-athletes earned Dean's List honors.
 
The 2023-24 season was noteworthy for UIC on the fields of competition. The Flames produced 43 all-conference honorees (including three Players of the Year), seven all-region selections and an All-American (third-team baseball standout Kendall Ewell), as well as a remarkable 43 Academic All-District scholar-athletes, as chosen by College Sports Communicators. Last year, six UIC programs (women's soccer, men's soccer, volleyball, baseball, women's golf and women's tennis) finished in the top four in the conference in either the regular season standings or at their respective Valley championships.
 
For more information on UIC athletics, fans are encouraged to visit UICFlames.com, or follow the Flames on social media through X (@UICFlames) and Instagram (@uicflames).