Eastern Illinois University Athletics

Will Hunker joined the Eastern Illinois Athletic staff in March 2026 as the Panthers Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing & Fan Engagement.
 
Hunker came to EIU following a year at Virginia Commonwealth where he served as the Assistant AD for Marketing for the Rams.  In that capacity he was responsible for creating and implementing marketing and promotion plans for all 17 intercollegiate programs at VCU.
 
Prior to his time at VCU, Hunker worked for four years as the Manager of Athletic Marketing at his alma mater, Marian University in Indianapolis.  He developed and implemented initiatives to increase student attendance and engagement at athletic events.  In that role he also worked with corporate sponsorships to generate revenue and execute sponsorship deliverables.
 
Hunker played collegiate baseball at both Heidelberg University (Ohio) and Marian University before earning his bachelor’s degree from Marian in 2016.  He later earned a master’s degree from Ball State University in 2020.
 
He is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators and serves on NACMA’s marketing committee. 
 
In addition to his experience in intercollegiate sports, Hunker worked as an account manager with Impact Networking, a consumer sales associate with the Indianapolis Colts and a senior carrier sales representative with Spot Inc.