HONOLULU — The University of Hawaii on Thursday announced an addition to its search committee for its next athletic director a few days after a group of UH supporters and former UH Manoa athletes expressed concern about a lack of diversity on the panel.

Former UH and NFL wide receiver Ashley Lelie will be the eighth member of the committee, UH said in a news release.

Lelie, a Radford High alumnus who holds an MBA from UH, is in the egg and nursery crop business on Oahu.

“Ashley was recommended by a UH faculty member who had been following the news about the committee,” UH President David Lassner said in a statement. “I was delighted to meet him and he indicated he would be honored to serve.”

Last Friday, UH and news outlets were sent a letter signed by 26 former athletes in which it was noted, “there are no Polynesian or African American advisory members. This is a direct affront to all men and women of color — especially those that have graduated from the University of Hawaii, many representing our university through sports …" Another criticism was that there was no representation of alumni of UH football, the athletic department's flagship program.

Artie Wilson, a former UH basketball player and longtime Spectrum Sports analyst, crafted the letter and rounded up the signatures that included Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, ex-football coach June Jones and former women's volleyball Olympian Deitre Collins.

Al Chee, a former chair of UH’s Ahahui Koa Anuenue fundraising arm who is on the search committee and is part-Hawaiian, sent out a response to UH supporters in which he noted his ancestry and close ties to the football program and university. In a copy of Chee's response provided to Spectrum News, he said the accusations in the letter were “patently false” and said of those who crafted it, “If these falsehoods are the basis of their objections, I would question what their real motives are.”

Wilson told Spectrum News that he'd heard back from dozens more of UH alumni supporting their message. He said Thursday the addition of Lelie was a “start” but did not fully resolve the diversity issue. Lelie was not one of the signees of the petition letter.

“I congratulate Ashley for being a new member of the advisory committee. Outstanding young man and a great person,” Wilson said.

“I still think that there could be additional alumni who could be valuable to the process,” he added. “But at least that’s a start. And it’s an acknowledgment by the university that their original committee as formed didn’t check all the boxes.”

Applicants for the athletic director position have until Friday to apply, or until the position is filled. David Matlin announced in January that he will step down from the position in June.

The members of the committee are Lelie; Chee; Manoa Provost Michael Bruno; Aio President Susan Eichor; UH women’s basketball coach Laura Beeman; UH men’s volleyball coach Charlie Wade; Hawaii Supreme Court justice and former Wahine basketball player Sabrina McKenna; and UHM faculty athletics representative Scott Sinnett.

“The attention being drawn to this search advisory committee is unprecedented,” Lassner stated. “We hope that all of those showing passion are also encouraging every qualified applicant they know to apply.”

Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.