The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Authority and Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Foundation announced today a nationwide search to select the next Executive Director of the Hall of Fame. Ben Sapp, who joined the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and has served as Executive Director for the past five years, has resigned, effective July 1, 2015, to pursue a new business venture.

“We deeply appreciate Ben’s years of leadership and service to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame,” said Emily Parker Myers, chair of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Authority. “He played key roles in transitioning the museum recently from a publicly funded state agency to a privately managed organization and in developing strong youth-oriented programming.

“We will conduct a national executive search, with plans to name the new executive director by September 15,” she continued. “In the interim, we have assembled a strong management team of leaders who are familiar with the GSHF and its needs. Overseeing the various aspects of the Hall’s operation will be Mike Ford, Jim McLendon, and Bobby Pope.”

Mike Ford will serve as Executive Director, managing the external affairs of GSHF including local and state governmental relations and communication.  Ford served previously as the President and CEO of NewTown Macon and had an important role in locating and keeping the GSHF in Macon.

Jim McLendon will be GSHF’s Coordinator of Development and Finance and will oversee the museum’s operations including financial oversight and fundraising. He is retired from Cox Communications where he was the Vice President & General Manager of Cox Media.

Bobby Pope will be Coordinator of the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and will oversee the Hall’s selection process this summer as GSHF committees choose the Hall of Fame Class of 2016. Former longtime Athletic Director at Mercer University, Pope has served the Hall in numerous capacities since the GSHF opened in Macon in 1999. He was a multiple-term board member of both the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Authority, including four years as chair, and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Foundation.

“Ben has served the Sports Hall of Fame well during his tenure, and we all wish him well in his new endeavors,” said Ford. “I am pleased to provide leadership as the Hall seeks a new Executive Director. The Sports Hall of Fame is an important part of Georgia and the future of Macon.”