Southeast Missouri State University will announce its new athletics director on Thursday, about nine-and-a-half months after previous athletics director John Shafer retired.

The university will hold a news conference at 4:30 p.m. in the Kem Statuary Hall in the Aleen Vogel Wehking Alumni Center. The conference is open to the public.

Cindy Gannon has been serving as the university's interim athletics director while the university conducted a search for candidates to fill the position. Parker Executive Search was contracted to find suitable candidates and the school interviewed finalists this month.