Max Ballinger helps oversee the 20 varsity sports within the athletic department at Cleary University, which includes men’s and women’s bowling, cross country, golf, ice hockey, esports, men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, indoor and outdoor track & field, wrestling, baseball and softball. From recruitment to playoffs, he’s involved in every aspect of making sure Cleary student athletes are successful in academics and athletics.
Ballinger has earned a Master’s of Science in Culture, Change, and Leadership from Cleary University and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Management from Central Michigan University. He served as Assistant Athletic Director at Cleary before being named Athletic Director in January, 2023. Before coming to Cleary, he worked as the Sports Information and Athletic Coordinator for Macomb Community College and prior to that as Assistant to the Athletic Director and Student Compliance Liaison at Lansing Community College.
Now, he’s all about the Cleary Cougars, an athletic force within the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, that continues to grow under Ballinger’s watch. “I love being able to work with student athletes on a daily basis and see them develop on and off the field,” he says.
