Mr. Tom Brown
Commissioner

Tom Brown is was appointed the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s fifth commissioner on August 1, 1992.

Besides his commissioner position, Brown operates his own consulting firm, a business he has been active with since 1982.

Prior to starting his own firm, Brown served as President of Northwood University from 1979-82. His presidency capped off a long association with Northwood that began in 1963 when he joined the institute as an assistant professor of mathematics, athletic director, business manager and men’s basketball coach.

Other positions Brown has held at Northwood were administrative assistant to the President (1969-72), director of Finance and Operations (1972-74), Executive Vice President (1974-76), and Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer (1976-79).

Brown received his Master’s in Physical Education and Mathematics from Central Michigan University in 1966. While an undergraduate at Central Michigan Brown played basketball and baseball for the Chippewas.

Brown and his wife, Pat, reside in Linwood, Mich. They are parents of four daughters, Suzanne, Cheryl, Carol and Jeanette.

Mr. Jeff Ligney
Director of Media Relations

Ligney took over as the GLIAC’s first full-time Director of Media Relations on July 1, 2000. A native of Bay City, Michigan, Ligney has over 10 years of college athletic experience in a variety of capacities. Most recently he served as student assistant sports information director at Saginaw Valley State University in separate stints since September of 1996.

Recently, he has served as webmaster for the SVSU athletic web site, while assisting in virtually every facet of the department’s operation. He assisted in the production of media guides, wrote press releases and hosted a weekly half-time segment on Cardinal football radio broadcasts.

Ligney was interim Sports Information Director for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference for a year and a half. In addition to composing the league’s weekly newsletter, he developed and maintained the PSAC web site.

Assistant men’s basketball coach at SVSU for five seasons, he assisted with recruitment and other administrative duties, as well as on-floor coaching and was co-director of the Cardinal basketball camps. The Cardinals advanced to three GLIAC tournament appearances during his tenure.

A product of Bay City All Saints High School, he played varsity tennis all four years and was a regional runnerup in 1989. He led the basketball team to back-to-back district titles his last two seasons, earning “Most Improved Player” honors as a senior.

Mr. John Kirk
Supervisor of Basketball Officials

John Kirk is in his ninth season as supervisor of basketball officials for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Prior to his appointment he had officiated 12 seasons in the GLIAC.

A registered official with the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) since 1964, Kirk has a background in basketball officiating at the scholastic, junior and senior college levels.

Besides his GLIAC officiating, Kirk has also officiated games in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Michigan Junior College Athletic Association (MJCAA). Since 1985 Kirk has served as supervisor of officials for the MJCAA Women’s Basketball Eastern Conference, and he held the same position for men’s basketball with the MJCAA from 1972-77.

Kirk retired from General Motors Corporation in 1992. He was a personnel manager with GM’s Service Parts Operations, with responsibility for education and training. He joined General Motors in 1963 after graduating from The University of Michigan-Flint with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management.

John and his wife, Nancy, currently reside in Flushing, Mich.

Mr. Phil Barnes
Supervisor of Football Officials

Phil Barnes serves as supervisor of football officials for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. This will be his tenth season serving in that capacity.

Barnes has a deep background in football officiating. From 1970-90 he officiated for the Big Ten and Mid-American Conferences. Since 1964 he has also worked games at the NCAA Division II and III and NAIA levels.

His officiating experience includes numerous bowl games as well as seven NCAA playoff games during a 20 year Division I career. He has officiated football games in France, England, Germany, Holland, Italy, Finland and in a China-American Football Tour in 1991.

Barnes has worked for the Big 10 Conference as an overseer of officials for the past 19 years. He retired as supervisor of basketball officials for the GLIAC, a position he held for three years.

Barnes has also been active in high school athletics, serving on Michigan High School Athletic Association’s football and basketball tournament selection committees. He has been an MHSAA official since 1956.

After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Administration and Supervision from Eastern Michigan University, Barnes spent 30 years in the Milan, Mich., school system as an administrator.

Barnes resides in Milan with his wife, Helen. The couple are parents of three children: daughter Elizabeth and sons Steve and Pete.

Ms. Jeanne Skinner
Supervisor of Volleyball Officials

Jeanne Skinner is in her ninth season as supervisor of volleyball officials for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Her duties include selecting and hiring officials for the conference’s schools.

Skinner has a background in volleyball officiating at the scholastic, junior and senior college levels.

Besides her work with GLIAC officials, Skinner serves as supervisor of officials for the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). Her experience includes 25 years of officiating at the high school level and a similar amount of time officiating at the Division II and Division III levels.

For many years Skinner served as a physical education teacher in the Wyoming, Mich., public school system. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan and a master’s degree from the University of Michigan, both in the field of education.

Skinner and her husband, David, reside in Grand Rapids, Mich. The couple has two adult children, Michael and Charles.