'Needed to reset': NMSU hires three new assistant athletic directors, promotes three other staffers

After parting ways with multiple athletic department staffers last week, New Mexico State announced three hires Monday as new athletic director Joe Fields continues to fill out his staff.

Molly Tye, Eric Crawford and Josh Hadley are three outside hires set to fill deputy and associate AD positions within NMSU’s athletic department. The announcement comes one week after NMSU parted ways with deputy ADs Amber Burdge, Braun Cartwright and James Hall, and just over three months after Fields was hired as the school’s AD.

Last week, Fields addressed the “unfortunate” turnover on the school’s “Cup of Joe” podcast, citing a desire to modernize NMSU’s athletic department after several months of evaluation.

“Once you kind of take a look at how we were operating as an athletics department (and) the individuals that we have in the building, I think the decision, for me, was really clear that we needed to reset (to be) able to truly move forward,” Fields said.

A first-time AD, Fields took over NMSU's athletic department on Oct. 8 after spending one year as Tulsa’s chief operating officer. Before that, he worked as an administrator at Texas A&M and Syracuse, where he played football from 2004 to 2007.

Two of Fields’ latest hires have previously worked with him: Tye, NMSU’s new deputy athletic director for internal operations and senior woman administrator; and Hadley, NMSU’s new senior associate AD for student-athlete services, both worked in Texas A&M’s athletic department while Fields was on staff there. 

Crawford, the new chief financial officer, has no clear connection to Fields. He was promoted to senior associate AD at Division II Georgia Southwestern State in January after serving as the Hurricanes’ men’s soccer coach and associate AD for business and operations.

NMSU also promoted three staffers to new roles Monday: Chet Savage will now serve as deputy AD and chief revenue officer; Nicole Sack will serve as associate AD for external promotions; and Joseph Almaguer will serve as associate AD for administration.

"These additions and role alignments reflect our commitment to building a comprehensive, student-athlete-centered athletics department," Fields said in a release Monday. "We are assembling an experienced, innovative leadership team that will positively impact every area of our department."

Burdge, Cartwright and Hall have not been listed on NMSU’s athletic department directory since last Monday. 

Burdge, the school's deputy athletic director for strategic initiatives and leadership, served as the school’s acting AD after Mario Moccia was fired for cause in January 2025.

NMSU President Valerio Ferme said then that the decision to part ways with Moccia, the school's longtime AD, was made after reviewing documents related to alleged sexual assault and hazing incidents within the school’s men’s basketball program under former head coach Greg Heiar.

Burdge was tasked with implementing several hazing reform measures recommended by the New Mexico Department of Justice. The school had completed “nearly two-thirds” of those recommendations by May, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez reported.

NMSU launched a national AD search in June. Burdge was not a finalist for the permanent job.

Cartwright had been with NMSU for over 20 years, serving as a deputy AD and the department’s chief operating officer since 2015. He was the only internal finalist who interviewed for the AD vacancy. Other finalists who interviewed were Fields; University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Athletic Director Josh Moon; and McNeese State Athletic Director Heath Schroyer.

Hall joined NMSU in 2006 and most recently served as the department’s chief DEI officer.

“Those individuals that were in the building that were impacted, (they’re) incredible people … What they’ve done for New Mexico State athletics should be celebrated (and) they’re first-class people,” Fields said in his “Cup of Joe” interview. “But I’m really excited about the future.”

“ … We’re going to do a lot of work this spring to truly set a foundation for our athletic department for the future. We’re going to bring in some professionals from around the country that truly understand the national landscape, former student-athletes that have been in different places, that (are) going to help us balance our institutional knowledge with some new perspectives."