Women Leaders in College Sports voting members will be asked to select 3 Board of Directors and 3 Nominating Committee members from the proposed slate below. The top 3 representatives in each group will earn a place on their respective committees.
Ballot links will be sent to active members on August 6, 2015. For questions or to resend a ballot, please contact Megan Cairns at [email protected] or 816.398.8213.
Recognized by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal as a “Game Changer” in 2014, Victoria M. “Vicky” Chun ’91, MA ’94 has earned a stellar reputation nationally as one of the most enthusiastic, involved and well-respected administrators in intercollegiate athletics. After a national search, Chun was named Colgate University’s Director of Athletics and Associate Professor effective Jan. 1, 2013. She was promoted to Vice President and Director of Athletics in July 2015.
Chun is the only female athletics director in the Patriot League. Among 345 Division I institutions, she is one of 29 (16 with the sport of football) women, and one of eight (four with sport of football) minority women, actively leading an NCAA Division I athletics department.
Chun is one of 40 members and the Patriot League's lone representative on the NCAA Division I Council, and also serves on the Division I Football Oversight Committee. In addition, she is on the Executive Board of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA), where she also chairs the Foundation Fund. In 2013, Chun was selected to the National Association of Collegiate Director of Athletics (NACDA) John McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation Board. Most recently, Harvard University invited Chun to serve on its Board of Overseers.
Chun’s vision of academic excellence, success at the NCAA Division I level and commitment to the university have created positive changes and outcomes for the Raiders. During her tenure as director of athletics, the Raiders have won titles in football, men’s rowing, women's soccer and volleyball. In 2014, men’s ice hockey received an at-large selection to the NCAA Division I Championship tournament, earning a final national ranking of “lucky” No. 13.
Under Chun’s leadership, the academic accomplishments by Raiders student-athletes have been stellar, with a 98 percent graduation rate that ranks Colgate third in the nation. In addition, the most recent APR report had 21 out of 24 teams scoring a perfect score of 1,000. In 2014, 64 percent of the student-athletes received a GPA of 3.0 or higher, eight student-athletes received a 4.0 or higher, and 36 percent were named to the Dean’s List.
Chun’s efforts to create a first-class environment for student-athletes has come to fruition as the athletics department saw the completion and approval of several major renovations, the construction of a new soccer stadium and for the first time, the approval of new building structure.
In January 2013, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously in favor of the construction of a 97,000 square-foot athletic facility. The new facility will feature a state-of-the-art ice hockey rink, locker rooms for men’s and women’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s lacrosse, and men’s and women’s soccer. It will also house a training room, meeting space, office suites, an equipment room, a VIP lounge and a private shooting space for the ice hockey programs. In addition, Chun oversaw the construction and completion of Beyer-Small ’76 Field, a state-of-the-art soccer facility with a FIFA 2-star certified FieldTurf. This facility, which consists of seating for 1,300 fans, TV-standard lighting, a fully-equipped press box and team rooms, opened in August 2014.
Since Chun assumed the director of athletics position, the department of athletics has seen a 200-percent increase in active athletic support groups; a 50-percent increase in former student-athlete giving; and a 21-percent increase in donor giving. In addition, there has been a 100-percent giving rate from all head and assistant coaches and administrators within the Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics Division.
Under Chun’s direction of giving back to the community, Colgate student-athletes raised over $30,000 toward various not-for-profit organizations (Play for Kay, Alzheimer's Awareness, ALS, Autism Awareness and the Cure for Ependymoma). Colgate also has received positive national recognition by being the only college to televise a men’s basketball game celebrating the LGTBQ community.
On campus, Chun serves on the President’s staff, the Colgate Disciplinary Conduct Board, the Advisory and Planning Committee, and is chair of the Faculty Affirmative Action Oversight Committee.
Chun earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Colgate in 1991 (double major: Political Science and Education) and Masters of Arts degree in 1994 (History). As an undergraduate, Chun was a four-year letterwinner and two-year captain on the Raider volleyball team. She was named Patriot League Player of the Year in 1991, an ECAC Merit Medal winner and a member of the Patriot League All-Decade team.
She went on to serve as head coach from 1994-97, posting a 67-27 record and guiding her squad to two conference championships and Colgate’s first-ever NCAA tournament berth. Chun was named the 1996 Patriot League Coach of the Year.
She remains the only person in NCAA Division I history to earn both player and coach of the year in the same conference, as well as the only person to win conference championships in those two roles.
During her coaching tenure, she coached eight All-Patriot League selections, a Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, a Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, a Patriot League Rookie of the Year and two Patriot League Tournament Most Valuable Players.
Chun has been featured in the NCAA’s “Champions” magazine and is a frequent contributor to sports publications. She is an in-demand speaker on topics including leadership in sport, organizational dynamics, diversity and inclusion, and teamwork. In 2010, Chun successfully completed the NCAA Fellows Program; in 2011, she graduated from the NACWAA Executive Institute.
A visionary leader with over 20 years of experience in various roles in athletic administration, Joeleen Akin has successfully combined athletic and educational opportunities for students since the start of her career in collegiate athletics. As Agnes Scott’s Director of Athletics, Akin developed the athletic department into a highly respected and competitive program.
The transformation of Agnes Scott Athletics has been remarkable in the last 11 years with conference titles and eight NCAA Regional appearances. The coaching staff has tallied 12 different Coach of the Year honors, including Akin herself in her third year as the head women’s basketball coach and Athletic Director. The success of the athletic department has expanded into the classrooms and the Atlanta community as Agnes Scott scholar-athletes recorded a cumulative grade-point average above a 3.0. Each Agnes Scott team participates extensively in both on and off- campus community service programs.
Akin’s tenure at Agnes Scott has been marked by innovation and creativity. Her determination and drive have lead to significant facility improvements, and increases in fundraising and endowments. When faced with a need for an on-campus fitness center, Akin partnered with a national fitness franchise to place a private membership facility on campus resulting in a state of the art fitness facility at no cost to the college. Akin coordinated with the institution’s communication’s department to create the now trademarkedtagline; “Smart Women Sweat.” She also secured the College’s first apparel contract with Russell Athletic.
Akin began her career coaching at Kansas State University. After receiving her Masters Degree she took a position in marketing at North Carolina State University and then returned to coaching at UNC Wilmington. Two years later she joined the sports marketing team at Auburn University. When Georgia Tech called on her to be the first Director of Women’s Basketball Operations, Akin jumped at the opportunity and developed a grass rootsseason ticket campaign that increased women’s basketball ticket revenue by 900%. In 1998 Akin was named Director of Marketing for the Georgia Tech Athletic Association.
Akin’s journey has lead her from humble beginnings in Kansas to her well established life in Atlanta with her husband, Charles, and their two children; Bobbie 12 and Ryan 8.
Amanda Braun enters her third full year as the Director of Athletics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is the first-ever female to hold that post at UWM.
Braun was named to the post in early March 2013 and officially took the reins of the department on May 1, 2013. In her brief tenure on campus, she has already helped Milwaukee to new heights and played the lead role in bringing Panther men’s basketball contests back downtown. She also was instrumental in helping the University secure naming rights for UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, the downtown home of Milwaukee men’s basketball.
Donations to Milwaukee Athletics have skyrocketed under Braun’s watch and in 2014-15, the department enjoyed a 42 percent increase in gifts and pledges coupled with a 45 percent bump in total donors. During the 2014-15 academic year, Milwaukee claimed a pair of Horizon League championships, winning the indoor and outdoor men’s track and field crowns, while eight other teams finished in second place in either the regular season or league tournament. In the classroom, the Panthers posted a cumulative grade-point average of 3.00 for a remarkable 28th consecutive semester in Fall 2014 and for the second straight year boasted an Academic All-American. Milwaukee student-athletes also topped the 4,000-hour mark in community service for the second straight year, with 4,185 hours.
In 2013-14, Milwaukee won eight Horizon League regular-season and tournament championships, produced three All-Americans and earned the conference’s McCafferty Trophy, which is awarded to the league’s all-sports champion, for the seventh time in 14 years. Success was not limited to just athletics endeavors however, as Milwaukee student-athletes performed over 4,000 hours of community service and one Panther was named Academic All-America.
A former basketball player at Siena College, Braun graduated summa cum laude with a degree in psychology. She later earned a master’s in sports administration from the University of North Carolina. Braun is married to Kelly Braun and resides in Whitefish Bay.
Entering her second year at the University of Arkansas, Julie Cromer Peoples serves as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Administration and Sports Programs and Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) for Razorback Athletics. As a member of the department’s executive leadership team, Cromer Peoples leads the sport administrator group responsible for day-to day administration of Arkansas’ 19 varsity sports. In addition, she guides strategic planning for the executive staff, while assisting with fundraising efforts. She also serves as liaison to the Southeastern Conference, the Chancellor’s Administrative Policy Council, the Faculty Senate and the Faculty Athletics Committee, and she provides strategic direction and oversight of departmental initiatives and units focused on student-athlete well-being and development, student-athlete graduation, sports performance, competitive success, gender equity and Title IX compliance.
Actively engaged in intercollegiate athletics nationally, Cromer Peoples has served on committees and working groups within the NCAA, the Southeastern Conference, the Big Ten Conference, the 1A Athletic Directors’ Association (1A AD), the National Association for Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators and the National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC), which she led as President in 2013-14. Cromer Peoples currently is a member of the 1A AD Fellows Program and she recently was appointed to the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics. She has delivered speeches, instructed seminars and served on expert panels at numerous national conferences and forums, including events hosted by the NCAA, the Knight Commission and various professional organizations. In June 2012 she received NAAC’s Frank Kara Leadership Award for her contributions to the field of athletics compliance.
Cromer Peoples joined the University of Arkansas after spending four years at Indiana University and previously working at the NCAA. As the Executive Associate Athletics Director and SWA at Indiana, Cromer Peoples was a member of the department’s senior management team providing leadership, consultation and guidance to the intercollegiate athletics division. As SWA, she was the department’s liaison to the Big Ten Conference and the NCAA and she served on the Big Ten Sports Management Committee and the Big Ten Administrators Council. In addition, Cromer Peoples guided the Department’s sports administration efforts, chairing a team of administrators responsible for Indiana University’s 24 varsity sports, while serving as the primary sport administrator for the football, volleyball and women’s basketball programs. She was one of the first women in the Big Ten to supervise all football operations, including staffing, scheduling, and facility planning.
Prior to joining the NCAA, Cromer Peoples was the Assistant Athletics Director and SWA at Wright State University, where she was the primary administrator for seven varsity sports while supervising the athletics compliance and academic support services units. At the beginning of her career, Cromer Peoples worked at the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, where she began as an intern and ended her tenure as Assistant Commissioner for Compliance and Championships.
Cromer Peoples received an MPA in policy analysis from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs and she is an Honors College graduate of Missouri State University.
Since joining Rollins in 2002 and being named Director of Athletics in 2006, Pennie Parker has led the Tars in an era of unprecedented success. She is charged with maintaining the department's stellar reputation both athletically and academically, while adhering to the Rollins mission of producing global citizens and responsible leaders. In 2015, Parker was selected to serve on the NCAA Division II Management Council.
At the beginning of 2015, Parker began serving a four-year term as an at-large representative on the NCAA Management Council. She has also been selected to serve on the NCAA Legislation Committee and the interpretations sub-committee. Parker will begin service on the NACDA Executive Committee in the Summer of 2015.
Parker’s efforts were recognized by her peers in 2013 as she was named Under Armour Division II Athletics Director of the Year.
Parker has continued to grow the Athletics Department’s academic profile during her tenure. Rollins was honored with the Division II President’s Awards for Academic Excellence in 2014 for the third straight season. The Tars Academic Success Rate has led the Sunshine State Conference since the NCAA began calculating ASR in 2006. For the past 28 consecutive semesters, Rollins student-athletes have posted a combined GPA above 3.0, including a record 3.306 GPA in the Spring ’15 term. For just the second time in school history, every one of Rollins’ 22 sports posted GPAs above 3.0.
Parker currently serves as the Second Vice President of the Division II Athletic Director’s Association (ADA) and is on several acting committees in the Sunshine State Conference.
Parker is just the second woman to serve Rollins' Director of Athletics. She has been with the College since May 2002 and previously served as assistant athletic director and senior women's administrator. In her former capacity, she handled all compliance for the department while assisting with business operations and promotions. Parker also served as the advisor for Rollins' chapter of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She succeeded NACDA Hall of Fame Athletic Director Phil Roach on an interim basis and in January 2006 was permanently named to the position.
Prior to coming to Rollins, Parker served as the director of compliance at Florida State University, assistant athletic director for compliance at Jacksonville University and compliance assistant at her alma mater, the University of Georgia.
Parker is married to Don Parker, an engineer at NASA, and her daughter Alli is a 2013 graduate of Rollins.
Meg Stevens joined Averett University as director of athletics in summer 2013. At Averett, she emphasizes a “3-2-1” philosophy. All teams strive to achieve a 3.0 grade point average, to finish in the top two in the conference, and the athletics department works together as "one team." The culture change Stevens began in athletics has been adopted by the entire university with all areas of the campus promoting the “one team” philosophy. In addition to introducing “3-2-1,” Stevens also coordinated a partnership with Nike and BSN Sports equipping all student-athletes with Nike gear and improving the fitness facility. Currently, she is overseeing several construction projects, including a $6.5 million sports complex for field sports. Stevens also has strengthened Averett's branding and marketing, recruited new corporate sponsors for Team Averett, provided increased leadership opportunities for student-athletes, created a faculty-athletic mentorship program, and secured key personnel for head coaching positions.
Prior to joining Averett, Stevens served as Buffalo State’s assistant director of athletics, director of the CHAMPS/Life Skills Program and as the advisor for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). She also served as Buffalo State's senior woman administrator for two years and head lacrosse coach for 11 seasons. As a coach, Stevens built Buffalo State’s women’s lacrosse program into a perennial contender accumulating an overall record of 109-65 (.626) and leading the Bengals to six conference tournament appearances, a 2012 NCAA Tournament appearance and a top 20 ranking. She is a two-time SUNYAC Coach of the Year and was the U.S. Lacrosse Regional Coach of the Year in 2004.
A native of Delmar, N.Y., Stevens began her involvement with the NCAA while an undergraduate at SUNY Cortland where she served as a chair for the NCAA's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, a member of the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics, the NCAA Division III Task Force and the Cortland Intercollegiate Athletics Board. As a student-athlete she helped the Red Dragons’ lacrosse team win three conference championships and earn three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Miechelle Willis has nearly 30 years of experience as an intercollegiate athletics administrator, including the last 21 years as Associate/Senior Associate/Executive Associate Director of Athletics as a member of the Ohio State University Department of Athletics.
Willis is a member of the executive leadership team, an assignment that allows her leadership, input and guidance responsibilities to a department comprised of more than 340 employees, over 1000 student-athletes and an operation budget of over $150 million. She serves as the primary advisor to the Director of Athletics, providing oversight for the department’s day-to-day operations.
In addition to her advisory role to the Director, Willis has direct oversight of the administrative and operational activities of business operations, sports administration, sports performance (medical services, athletic training, strength and conditioning), athletics and strategic communications, compliance, human resources and is athletics’ liaison to the Student Athlete Support Services Office, which is housed within the Office of Academic Affairs.
Tireless, efficient and focused, Willis had served four years on the Division I Management Council and the NCAA Division I Recruiting and Athletics Personnel Issues Cabinet, as well as serving on numerous Big Ten Conference committees, completing two years as co-chair of the Big Ten Administrators Council. Outside of the University, Willis currently sits on the Mount Carmel College of Nursing Board of Trustee.
Willis is a graduate of Grambling State University, where she received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Dr. Sharon Beverly is the assistant vice president for student affairs and executive director of athletics at The College of New Jersey. She is the fourth full-time director of athletics in the history of the College. In her role as director of athletics, Dr. Beverly leads 20 intercollegiate varsity sports at TCNJ.
Dr. Beverly arrived on campus in March 2014. “I am thrilled to welcome Sharon to TCNJ,” said Dr. Amy Hecht, vice president for student affairs. “Over the last 25 years, she has been successful in strengthening athletics programs, while remaining committed to the academic integrity of the institution. Her qualifications, past experiences, and her ability to pursue excellence, both on and off the field, made her an ideal choice for The College of New Jersey.”
Dr. Beverly accepted the position at TCNJ after serving as director of athletics and physical education at Vassar College for 10 years. Prior to her role as athletics director, Beverly held the title of associate director of athletics and senior woman administrator at Vassar from 2002-2004.
The Lions have enjoyed tremendous success since her arrival on campus. The men's swimming and diving team won a pair of NCAA national titles in relay events in 2014 (200 and 400 medley) and 2015 (400 and 800 medley). In the fall of 2014, TCNJ's field hockey team won its 10th NCAA national championship in program history. To date, TCNJ has won 89 NCAA National Championships!
A leader in intercollegiate athletics for over 25 years, Dr. Beverly has been a source of inspiration as one of a select few African-American women in the country to hold the position of athletics director. She joined Vassar in 2002 after a successful career as head women's basketball coach at Queens College, in Flushing, NY, Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ and New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, NJ.
Keisha Dunlap joined Conference USA in September of 2004 as Assistant Director of Championships. Most recently, she has was promoted to Associate Commissioner for Sports Services in February 2013.
Dunlap's primary responsibilities include oversight of the Sports Services department and serving as the liaison to the league's Senior Woman Administrators. She directs the planning and implementation of the Conference USA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, one of the league's premier events. Additionally, she serves as the sport administrator for women's basketball, volleyball and swimming and diving.
Before Conference USA, Dunlap spent more than two years as the Director of Compliance at the University of Arkansas where she performed numerous compliance duties including participation reports, compliance reviews, National Letters of Intent and SEC Special Assistance Fund. While at Arkansas, she also was responsible for several event management functions, including Lady Razorback Orientation, various SEC Championships, and NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
She is an active member of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA) and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). Dunlap is currently serving on the NCAA Division I Softball Selection Committee and is a current board member of both the Collegiate Event and Facility Management Association (CEFMA) and a local Dallas branch of the YMCA. She has also served on the NCAA Olympic Sports Liaison Committee and is a 2010 graduate of the NCAA Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males and Females.
Samantha K. Huge was named Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Senior Woman Administrator at Texas A&M in May 2014.
Huge serves as an integral member of the Athletics Department’s management team, overseeing the department’s policy development and implementation, supervising a variety of men’s and women’s sports programs, and providing leadership and support for the department’s gender equity and diversity initiatives, among many additional responsibilities.
Huge came to College Station after five years at the University of Delaware, where she served in a variety of roles, most recently as the Deputy Director of Athletics and Recreation Services, and Special Assistant to the President. During her tenure at Delaware, in addition to the oversight of several sport programs, Huge was responsible for the day-to-day business and administrative operations of the department, including external operations, fiscal management, capital projects, personnel and human resources, and NCAA compliance. She held an appointment in the Office of the President of the University where she served as Special Assistant, providing counsel and assistance in a variety of areas related to athletics. Huge also served as Interim Director of Athletics in 2012.
Prior to her tenure at Delaware, Huge held positions at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, as Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance and at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, as Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance.
Huge has participated on numerous national committees, including the NCAA Women’s Basketball Issues Committee in which she served as Chair of the Marketing Subcommittee. She has held appointments on the NCAA Committee on Academic Performance, acting as Chair of the Subcommittee on Data Collection and Reporting; and has served a term on the NCAA Amateurism Clearinghouse Advisory Group. Additionally, Huge has been an active member of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA), graduating from the NACWAA Executive Institute in 2013 and participating as a presenter at the national convention in 2013 and 2014.
Lindsay Reeves is in her 15th year at the University of North Georgia and the 2014-15 season will mark her fifth year as the Director of Athletics for the 12-sport intercollegiate program after investing five years as Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator. She is only the third AD in the history of UNG athletics.
Reeves oversees a staff of more than 30 athletic coaches and staff competing in 12 intercollegiate sports at the NCAA Division II level. Under Reeves' leadership, UNG athletic programs have enjoyed prosperity on and off the playing fields and courts. She has mentored teams to both conference and regional championships while emphasizing the total student-athlete development.
Beginning in the winter of 2015, Reeves is serving a four-year term on the Division II Management Council. In addition, she is serving on the NCAA Division II Management Council Identity Subcommittee, Division II Convention Planning Project Team, Division II Mentorship Program and the Division II Military Pilot Project Team.
In 2014, she was named the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA) NCAA Division II Administrator of the Year.
The Administrator of the Year Award is presented annually to NACWAA members for significant contributions made as athletics administrators. In addition, the Nell Jackson Administrator of the Year Award honors an administrator who exemplifies the personal qualities and professional accomplishments of Dr. Nell Jackson — courage, conviction and perseverance. Reeves is currently serving on the NACWAA Educational & Professional Development Committee and the NACWAA Mentorship Program.
Reeves is the first female director of athletics at the University of North Georgia. She has led the development and implementation of a diversity action plan to ensure and promote diversity among the university's student-athletes, staff and community. She is heralded as an advocate for all areas of athletic excellence, including team and student-athlete academic success and community engagement.
One of Reeves' crowning achievements is that UNG has donated the highest amount of money to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of all NCAA Division II schools in three of her previous four years as athletic director.
She graduated from Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Science in physical education and received her master's in exercise physiology from University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. After completing her education, she worked as the director of testing at Sports Training Institute in New York before taking over as assistant director of health and fitness at General Electric World Headquarters in Connecticut. From 1990-1999, she was the director of employee wellness and faculty member at UNC Chapel Hill.
Carly Pariseau is entering her tenth year at Boston College, and fifth year as Associate Athletic Director for Compliance. In this role she is responsible for maintaining a compliant athletic department and institution that includes over 200 coaches and staff members that supports 750 student-athletes in 31 sports. Additionally, Pariseau is a member of the senior staff and is involved in the day-to-day activities of running an elite NCAA Division I FBS athletic department. She is currently a member of the Boston College Women’s Collaborative Steering Committee and the ACC Equity Committee. Pariseau has also served on the NACWAA Legislative and Governance Committee, as well as the Education and Professional Development Committee.
Prior to arriving at Boston College, Pariseau was the Compliance Coordinate at Ohio University where she oversaw the National Letter of Intent Program and assisted with monitoring recruiting activities and academic certification.
Earlier in her career, Pariseau worked at Minnesota State University – Mankato as the Assistant Volleyball Coach and Administrative Assistant to the Athletic Director. While at MSU – Mankato, Pariseau helped coach the team women’s volleyball team to three NCAA tournament appearances and had three student-athletes receive All-American honors. She also received her master’s degree in human performance in 2002.
A 1996 graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College, Pariseau was a four year starter in the sport of volleyball for the bobcats. Pariseau is also a certified volleyball official and was a member of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Rules Committee from 2006 – 2010 (Chair 2009-2010).
She is married to Dave Reeves and they have a son Tim and a daughter Kelley.
Angela Tressel joined the Great Midwest Athletic Conference on July 9, 2012 as Assistant Commissioner for Compliance after spending the previous four years as Assistant Commissioner at Conference Carolinas (DII). In July 2014, Tressel was promoted to Associate Commissioner for Internal Operations and has added to her responsibilities, the oversight of the G-MAC Women’s Basketball and Softball championships, liaison to the FAR Council, review of internal controls, DII conference grant program support, and maintenance of financial records and accounting procedures.
Tressel, a native of the Southwest Chicago suburbs, currently oversees and enhances the G-MAC compliance program, assists conference members with NCAA and G-MAC regulations, oversees the G-MAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and serves as the G-MAC Senior Woman Administrator. Previously at Conference Carolinas, Tressel served 12 member institutions on all aspects of NCAA and conference rules & compliance, served as the liaison to the SAAC, designed and implemented the league’s first female empowerment summit, developed a game environment policy handbook, and organized the league’s promotional and awards program among other responsibilities. An active member of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) and the National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC), Tressel completed the NACWAA Institute for Administrative Advancement in 2010 and currently sits as chair of the Division II NAAC Committee as well as recently serving as a co-chair of the DII Conference Commissioners Association of Compliance Administrators (CCACA) from 2012-2014.
In January 2015, Tressel was appointed to serve on the NCAA DII Legislation Committee and currently sits on the NCAA DII Women’s Softball Midwest Regional Advisory Committee. Tressel also has experience serving on the NCAA DII Women’s Volleyball Southeast Regional Advisory Committee and has been an NCAA site representative at both an NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Regional as well as an NCAA Division II Lacrosse Regional. Most recently, Tressel has been awarded the 2014-15 Division II Excellence Award by the National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC).
Professionally, Tressel has been a facilitator at the 2011 & 2012 NCAA Leadership Forums and at the 2013 NCAA Career in Sports Forum. She has been a guest presenter at NCAA Regional Rules Seminars, at NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminars and at a NACWAA/NCAA Women’s Leadership Symposium. A former high school teacher and assistant softball coach for three years at North Davidson High School (NC), Tressel also served one year as an assistant softball coach at Greensboro College (DIII) prior to joining the staff at Conference Carolinas.
She earned a degree in Social Science and Secondary Education in 2005 from Bradley University (DI) and competed on the university’s softball team. Tressel earned a master’s degree in Sport Studies from High Point University in 2008 and currently resides in Greenwood, IN with her husband, Ryan and two children, Brady Lee (4) and Kenslee Maeve (1).