Gulf Coast's Pickard steps down as AD to take job in private sector

Bert Pickard informed Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College's administration Monday he plans to step down as MGCCC Dean of Athletics to pursue a position on the Coast in the private sector.

Gulf Coast confirmed Wednesday Pickard is leaving to take an administrative job at Memorial Hospital at Gulfport.

Pickard, a MGCCC alum, took over for Ladd Taylor as AD on Sept. 11, 2014 after serving as a financial officer for multiple hospitals in North Mississippi.

Pickard, a St. Martin native, was a baseball standout at Gulf Coast from 2002-03 and, after helping to lead Delta State to the 2004 NCAA D-II National Title, played several years of minor league baseball.

Gulf Coast plans to move forward immediately to find Pickard's replacement.

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Gulf Coast's Pickard steps down as AD to take job in private sector ."