Honorary Games Directors

Rick Atkinson, Assistant Athletics Director, Michigan State University

Rick Atkinson serves as the Assistant Athletic Director for Facility and Event Management at Michigan State University. Originally joining the University as part of the gymnastics coaching staff, he now serves by administering many campus athletic facilities and overseeing more than 220 athletic events on campus each year.

Atkinson's life-long passion for sports was reflected in his outstanding gymnastics career at Iowa State, where he served as Team Captain and twice garnered All American honors on Floor Exercise. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Iowa State University and a J.D. with certificate in Litigation from Thomas Cooley Law School.

Kellie Dean, President and CEO of Dean Transportation, Inc.

Kellie Dean is the President and CEO of Dean Transportation, Inc., providing special needs transportation services for Michigan school districts, Dean Management Services, Inc., providing management services for special needs transportation in Michigan, and Dean Trailways of Michigan, providing luxury transportation services throughout the U.S. and Canada. Dean employs approximately 1,400 and operates and manages 1,200 vehicles.

Dean is a graduate of Michigan State University with a BS Degree from the College of Education and a Master's Degree in Special Education Administration. In 1983, the Council for Exceptional Children named him "Outstanding Special Education Teacher in Michigan.

He has served as President of the Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation, Chairperson of the Michigan Department of Education's Pupil Transportation Advisory Council, and Chairperson of its Special Education Advisory Committee.