UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour announced today the hiring of Carl Heck as senior associate athletic Director for capital, events and facilities and the promotion of Herb Combs to associate athletic Director for facilities management and operations.
"I'm thrilled that Carl Heck will be joining our Penn State athletics family," Barbour stated. "During his time at Butler, Carl developed an extensive background in capital projects, facilities and events, which will benefit us as we continue to move forward with our facilities master plan. He brings a vast array of experiences which will serve him well as he leads our facilities and events staff. He's a great Penn State fit and we're excited for him to get started."
"Herb has been a tireless and dedicated teammate for this athletics department for the last 13-plus years and I am excited to have him in this leadership role," Barbour said. "With his deep understanding of our facilities and operational needs, Herb has played a critical role in our success during his time at Penn State. I am looking forward to his leadership, partnership and excellence in this expanded role."
Heck will oversee the athletics facilities master plan as well as lead the events and facilities departments for Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics.
"I can't thank Barry Collier enough for his leadership and guidance over the past 13 years," Heck said. "I also owe a huge amount of gratitude to the Butler student-athletes, coaches and staff for their tireless work to improve and move the department forward. I am thrilled to join Penn State, under the leadership of Sandy, Scott [Sidwell] and Lynn [Holleran]. I'm excited to work alongside the outstanding student-athletes, coaches and staff as we strive for comprehensive excellence. I look forward to working with the Penn State community to improve the athletic facilities, all while preserving the traditions and rich history. We Are!"
Heck spent the last seven years at Butler University, his alma mater, as the associate athletic director where he served as the chief financial officer and oversaw facilities and events. In addition, he served as the sport administrator for women's soccer, men's golf, women's golf, men's tennis, women's tennis and women's volleyball.
In his role with the Bulldogs, Heck oversaw the facilities master plan, which included renovations to Hinkle Fieldhouse, Butler Bowl, Bulldog Park and West Campus. He also managed maintenance and daily use of all Butler athletics facilities. Heck introduced a new online and on-site apparel store and concessionaire, which helped improve the fan experience for those attending games.
Prior to moving into his current role, Heck was the assistant athletic director for facilities and events where he organized facility and security operations for all home athletic events. He also coordinated the distribution of athletic scholarships.
Heck served on the Big East Women's Golf Committee from 2014-16, as the McKinney School of Law Sports & Entertainment Law Society Chairman in 2018-19 and on the Indianapolis Bar Foundation Sports & Entertainment Law Executive Committee in 2018-19. Heck has served on the membership, publicity, and programming committees for the College Athletic Business Managers Association (CABMA).
Heck graduated with a degree in finance from Butler in 2005 and went on to get his master's in business administration from the University of Dallas in 2014. He earned his law degree from Indiana University in 2019.
Combs will oversee the day-to-day management of Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics' facilities and operations.
"I want to thank Sandy and Scott [Sidwell] for the opportunity to continue to grow within the organization," Combs said. "I look forward to teaming with Carl and the rest of our staff within ICA to advance our facilities, as well as creating conditions for success that will have an impact on our student-athletes, coaches, staffs and fans."
Combs has been in the role of assistant athletic director for facilities and grounds since 2016. In that position, he oversees all facility operations for Penn State Athletics' eight facilities, as well as all outdoor athletic facilities and grounds. He routinely works with the Office of Physical Plant to manage projects in various facilities. He also works with University Police and Public Safety and Transportation and Parking to ensure fan safety at all Penn State outdoor events.
Among his many accomplishments, Combs managed capital projects at Beaver Stadium, Panzer Stadium, Holuba Hall and the field hockey complex. He also serves as the game day operations manager for home football games. Before moving into the assistant athletic director role, Combs served as the supervisor of outdoor athletics facilities for 11 years. In that role, he coordinated maintenance of Beaver Stadium and managed 125 acres of athletics fields.
Prior to coming to Penn State, Combs spend three years at the University of Minnesota as an assistant athletic groundskeeper and facilities manager. In that position, he maintained all athletic field and managed the daily operation of Williams Arena and the Sports Pavilion.
Combs graduated from Penn State with a degree in turfgrass science in 2002.
