MOSCOW, Idaho – University Director of Athletics Terry Gawlik has announced the promotion of two athletics employees to senior staff positions.
 
Francine Hoffman has been promoted to Associate Athletic Director for Performance Nutrition, she will also serve as the department's Senior Woman Administrator. Dani Hippe has been promoted to Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Support Services.
 
"We are thrilled to promote Francine and Dani to our athletics senior staff," Gawlik said. "Their hard work and dedication to our student-athletes is apparent in everything they do on a day-to-day basis. They are not only very good in their respective duties, but built tremendous relationships with all Vandals, athletes, coaches, administrators, and staff. This speaks to their ability to help get the best out of everyone around them to focus on our number one priority, supporting our student-athletes. This is another great elevation for Idaho Athletics."
 
Hoffman joined Idaho Athletics in 2022 as a sports dietitian graduate assistant and oversees the Vandal nutrition center which helps coordinate the nutrition efforts of over 300 Vandal student-athletes. She was integral in the establishment of the nutritional program, and she was a key voice in the renovation of the nutrition center in 2024.
 
Hoffman has built strong relationships with the athletics strength and conditioning staff, the Vandal athletic training staff and campus partners to build a wholistic approach to Vandal athletics nutrition.
 
She is a native of South Dakota and received her BS and MS from South Dakota State in Nutrition and Dietetics. She is board-certified in sports dietetics (CSSD) and holds her MS, RD, CSCS, USAW-L1and NSCA-CPT credentials. She is a professional member of ASPDA (American Sports and Performance Dietetics Association) and NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association).
 
She will also serve as the Senior Woman Administrator where she will be a key voice in decisions of the department and will work directly with the Big Sky Conference and NCAA to support Vandal athletics.
 
Hippe joined Idaho as a Senior Academic Coordinator in August 2021 and in 2023 was promoted to the Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Support Services.
 
In her time, she has overseen the academics of the Vandal football team, which just posted a semester record GPA of 3.32 including 86 members of the team earning at least a 3.0 GPA.
 
She is also the advisor for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Hippe is a member of the UI ACADA Executive Committee and is the Big Sky Conference Academic Advisor Chair.
 
Prior to joining the university, she served as a graduate assistant and the University of Memphis in their athletic academic department, while earning her Master's in Sports Commerce. At Memphis, Hippe served as Interim Director of football and men's basketball academics and was the Interim Lead Learning Specialist. She oversaw academic support and advisement for men's basketball and football programs in addition to being a mentor for a caseload of athletes from all Olympic Sports.

Hippe earned her bachelor's degree in Sociology at Colorado State University, where she was a student-athlete herself as a swimmer from 2015-19.