For Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard, a change in presidency is nothing new. It was roughly five years earlier that Pollard welcomed Steven Leath into the to Ames community. And once again, a new president will take charge while Pollard remains the boss of Cyclone Athletics.

This time, Wendy Wintersteen will be the new president of Iowa State. Wintersteen was previously the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State.

Prior to Wintersteen, Leath worked closely with Pollard and Iowa State Athletics. In Leath’s tenure as president, the most notable additions to the athletics department in his time were the hiring of men’s basketball coach Steve Prohm and football coach Matt Campbell.

In Prohm’s two seasons at Iowa State, he has guided the Cyclones to a 47-23 record and two NCCA Tournament appearances. Campbell, who is in the midst of his second season, guided the Cyclones a 3-9 record in his first season. This season, he has the Cyclones on the brink of becoming bowl eligible. On top of that, the Cyclones upset then-No. 3 Oklahoma and were handed their first ranking in the AP Top 25 since 2005 when they defeated Texas Tech last weekend.

“For me, it was just a personal friendship and relationship that we had,” Pollard said. “I really just respected his decision making and he was an aggressive leader, bold leader and he wasn’t afraid to make decisions.”

Pollard said that he was able to give ideas to Leath and Leath, in turn, would take those ideas and run with them. For example, Leath was instrumental in the decision-making process when Jack Trice Stadium was renovated in recent years. The additions to the stadium were the biggest renovations that Jack Trice has undergone since 1975.

“[Steven Leath] allowed me to go do the interviews [on Matt Campbell],” Pollard said. “That’s a great sign of a leader that entrusts his direct reports to go do their jobs, but you also earn that respect – he held people accountable.”

The clear advantage for Pollard and Iowa State Athletics is that they are welcoming a current member of the Cyclone family, rather than starting from scratch like they did with Leath.

“Truthfully, in my 12 years I haven’t had a lot of interaction with [Wintersteen],” Pollard said. “Athletics and Ag, our worlds just don’t cross that much, but where we do intersect is several donors, who are either friends of mine or people that I’ve interacted with through athletics, that are Ag donors and they think the world of her.”

In her 11 years as dean, Wintersteen has helped bring in $247 million in donor contributions for students, faculty and staff.

Although Wintersteen has not previously had a heavy impact within the athletic department, she has still supported the team and is not a stranger to the Cyclones and Pollard.

“Prior to her candidacy, she came over and met with me and wanted to know more about athletics,” Pollard said. “So, it takes a really humbled leader to admit what they’re either not as comfortable with, or familiar with and then be able to act on that by asking questions and trying to learn.”

Whether or not Wintersteen has an immediate impact on Iowa State Athletics, Pollard has no worries about what they will accomplish together and is excited to see what the future holds for the Cyclone athletic department.

“My take on Wendy is that this is really going to be a great fit for Iowa State,” Pollard said.