Jeff Konya will be stepping down from his $210,000-a-year role as athletic director at Oakland University and is headed to Northeastern University, according to Boston 25 News.

Konya has been at Oakland since 2014, and last summer signed a new five-year contract extension. No spokespeople at Oakland were able to confirm Tuesday the exact state of Konya’s potential new position, but sources did confirm there will be a press conference at 10 a.m. at Northeastern University on Wednesday.

Konya is known for his innovative ideas in Athletics. He started the branding hashtag #WEARtheBEAR, the annual Black and Gold Awards at The Fox for student athletes and he brought the Blacktop to the O’rena. He was named the Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year for 2016-17.

When Konya came to the university in 2014 from the University of California Bakersfield, he was quoted by The Oakland Press, saying:

“This [Oakland] is really a perfect fit for me, I always thought this was a destination spot for me. I have always felt a connection with this place. I am coming home in a permanent way at an institution that has so much potential and so much promise and means so much to so many. To be given the athletic department operations and management in a leadership position like that, in many ways it really is a dream come true.”

This announcement has come as a shock to the university community, especially after the sudden departure of Oakland’s Associate Athletic Director for Communications, Scott MacDonald, in October. MacDonald worked at Oakland from 2007 to 2017. He recently accepted a position as Vice President of Marketing for the United Shore Professional Baseball League.

It is expected Oakland will name an interim athletic director while conducting a national search for a new program leader.

The Oakland Post will continue to provide updates as they become available.