Sports Club Chief Chosen to Raise Funds for UCI

Irvine Sports Club president William Ackman has been selected to head a three-month fund-raising campaign for UC Irvine athletics, Horace Mitchell, the university’s vice chancellor of student affairs, said Friday.

Ackman, 42, was hired on an interim basis while the university continues its search for a director of development. Craig Fertig, UCI’s former associate director of athletics and development, resigned from that position in September.

Ackman will coordinate a staff of 100 volunteers for the fund-raising drive, with a goal of reaching $300,000--approximately $5,000 per working day--in three months.

Ackman, a graduate of USC and a 14-year resident of Irvine, has been involved in many fund-raising projects over the years for Irvine and the Orange County area.

Along with serving as the president of the Irvine Sports Club, a community service club that supports and raises funds for Irvine-area schools, Ackman is on the board of the Irvine Chamber of Commerce; a public safety commissioner for the City of Irvine; a board member of the UC Irvine athletic foundation, and a past executive committee member of the Freedom Bowl.