Lisa Malin, who has served as the interim director of the College Football Hall of Fame for the past five months, has been named as the Hall’s executive director.

Steven J. Hatchell, president and CEO of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame located in South Bend, Indiana, announced the appointment January 22.

Malin, who has been with the Hall since it opened in 1995, formally replaces Rick Walls, who now heads the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. Her previous roles at the Hall include director of sales, manager of sales, finance coordinator and front-end ticket manager.

"Lisa Malin has established herself as a highly creative and organized marketer who has won the respect of all the critical people involved with the Hall, including the city, the county, the staff, local businesses, and many of the key collegiate administrators throughout the nation," said Hatchell. "There has been a lot of energy at the Hall because of Lisa, and we are thrilled with what she and her team have done over the past five months. As interim director, she has created a top-notch plan for the Hall, making numerous presentations to the NFF Board, the city council and others, and it's clear that her superior communications skills have proven that she is, not only highly competent, but the right person to push the Hall to new heights, raising its visibility and connecting with the college football community."

Originally established in 1951, the Hall opened in South Bend, Ind. in 1995 and currently hosts more than 200 events each year, including the Annual Enshrinement Festival, which will occur this year on July 18-19 with Penn State coach Joe Paterno and former Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie headlining the class.