Committee Members Named for Oregon State Head Football Coach Search

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The committee members who will participate in the search for the next Oregon State Head Football Coach were announced by Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Barnes on Monday.

The search committee, headed by Barnes, includes Brandin Cooks, Nikki Neuburger, Marty Reser, Joth Ricci, Mike Riley and John Stirek.

Brandin Cooks

Played football at Oregon State from 2011-13 under Mike Riley
Earned the Biletnikoff Award and was a consensus All-American following the 2013 season
Established Oregon State records for career receiving touchdowns with 24 and single-season touchdown receptions with 16
Was the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints
Has played in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints (2014-16), New England Patriots (2017), Los Angeles Rams (2018-19), Houston Texans (2020-22), Dallas Cowboys (2023-24), and Saints (current).

Nikki Neuburger

Graduated from Oregon State with a degree in business administration in 2004
Played volleyball, and served as team captain, at Oregon State from 1999-2002 and earned Pac-10 All-Conference and All-Academic honors
Currently the Executive Vice President and Chief Brand & Product Activation Officer at Lululemon
Prior to joining Lululemon, she was Global Head of Marketing for Uber Eats, leading the introduction and global expansion of the brand through the company's IPO
Previously worked at Nike for 14 years, where she was Global Vice President of Nike Running

Marty Reser

Graduated from Oregon State with a degree in marketing and management in 1983
Was on the Oregon State wrestling team from 1979-81
Athletic Director Board of Advisors committee member
Was the Vice President of Retail Sales for Reser's Fine Foods before his retirement
The Reser family has supported an extensive list of major university projects, including the naming rights to Reser Stadium and the Linus Pauling Science Center
His parents, the late Al Reser, and Pat both graduated from Oregon State in 1960

Joth Ricci

Graduated from Oregon State with a degree in business education in 1991
Athletic Director Board of Advisors committee member
Is currently serving as executive in residence for the Oregon State College of Business
Served as the president, chief executive officer, and board member at Dutch Bros from 2019-2023
Also had leadership roles with Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Adelsheim Vineyards, Jones Soda and, most recently, Burgerville
Current Chair of the Oregon Business Council Action Lab and Vice Chair of the Children's Institute. Served on the State of Oregon's Racial Justice Council.

Mike Riley

In his second year as a member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee
Was hired as the head football coach at Oregon State in 1997; in 1998 he led the Beavers to a 5-6 mark capped off by a double-overtime 44-41 victory over Oregon
He returned to Oregon State in 2003 and led the Beavers for the next 12 years
He won six bowl games during his time at Oregon State and was named the 2008 Pac-10 Coach of the Year
His 93 wins overall in 14 seasons at OSU are the most in school history
He was named to the Oregon State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023

John Stirek

Graduated from Oregon State with a degree in accounting/business in 1982.
Current chair of Athletic Director Board of Advisors
Current co-chair of OSU Foundation Campaign and is a past chair of the OSU Foundation Board
Joined the Board of Directors for Summit Bank in September 2025
Retired in 2024 after a long tenure with Trammell Crow Company/CBRE, where he served as president of Western Operations and Capital Markets, chief operating officer, and national director of development and investment
John and Kate were the recipients of the 2021 Martin Chaves Lifetime Achievement Award

"I'm grateful to the members of the search committee for accepting my invitation to serve and for their willingness to share their expertise," said Barnes. "Our focus is to identify a head coach whose perspective and vision will help shape the next chapter of our Oregon State football program. That established leader will have our full support and the resources necessary to compete and succeed at the highest level on behalf of Beaver Nation."

DHR Global will be the search firm utilized to assist in securing the next Oregon State Head Football Coach. Established in 1989, DHR Global business began with a focus on retained executive search but quickly expanded to search for leaders at the emerging leader level through Jobplex, a wholly owned subsidiary.
With the addition of leadership consulting services, DHR has become one of the largest talent advisory firms in the world, serving clients with a footprint across more than 22 countries.

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Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).

Committee Members Named for Oregon State Head Football Coach Search

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