Northwestern’s next athletic director will probably be named between May 14 and May 20, University President Henry Bienen said last week.

Bienen said interviews will be completed by May 14, and he plans to make the announcement before leaving the country six days later.

According to Bienen and Nancy Lyons, the associate athletic director in charge of intercollegiate services, there is a long list of potential candidates.

“A lot of people have been discussed and mentioned. I can’t say more than that,” Lyons said. “The president has had direct conversations with several people interested in the decision.”

Bienen said all the candidates are external and that there are strong women and minorities in the pool.

One name that has surfaced through an internal e-mail within the administration is Debra Gore-Mann, the interim athletic director at Stanford.

The athletic department and administration would neither confirm nor deny that Gore-Mann, a black woman, is a candidate. Gore-Mann has been the senior associate athletic director in charge of finance and operations at Stanford for the last four years. She was a point guard on the Cardinal basketball team from 1978-1982 and graduated in 1982 with a degree in Industrial Engineering.

Gore-Mann said she is “intrigued” by the position but has not been contacted directly.

Bienen said he is looking for an athletic director who understands the demands of maintaining the academic integrity of the athletics program at NU, which has unusually high academic standards for a Division I school.

Other important qualifications are the ability to manage the athletic budget, hire successful coaches, make the tough decisions when coaches do not fit and handle the public nature of the job, Bienen said.

Outgoing Athletic Director Rick Taylor, who announced his retirement March 6, will continue his responsibilities through August. Since taking over the reigns at NU in 1994, Taylor has hired high-profile coaches Bill Carmody and Randy Walker and also hired or promoted new coaches for women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s tennis, volleyball, cross country, men’s and women’s golf, lacrosse and field hockey.

While he is being advised by several coaches and members of the athletic department, Bienen said he will make the final decision.

There is no student input.

“It’s a pity that it’s that way, but candidates do not see students or staff,” Bienen said. “That’s a difference from searching for a dean. Looking for an A.D. is in between looking for an administration officer and a senior coach.”

The Daily’s Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.