Directors of Excellence
4/28/2005 8:00:00 AM | Terrapin Athletics
April 28, 2005
Directors of Excellence
By Stephanie Iovieno
Reprint courtesy of the Women's Sports Foundation, www.WomensSportsFoundation.org
This article can be found at http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/cgi-bin/iowa/career/article.html?record=36
They're not sitting on the benches at the basketball games or screaming from the sidelines on the field, but they are the main reason a university's athletic program runs smoothly. Leaders out of the spotlight, they are the people who day in and day out have a hand in the affairs of every sport at their particular schools. And although they don't get the press of big-time head coaches, athletic directors (ADs) deserve just as much -- and maybe even more -- recognition.
The numbers are staggering. According to a 27-year study by R. Vivian Acosta and Linda Carpenter, both professors emerita at Brooklyn College, only 8.7 percent of Division I athletics directors in 2002 were women. Although female athletic administrators have made great strides throughout the years to achieve the same status as male administrators, there had been a slight decline in the number of female ADs from 1998 to 2002, and only in Division III has there been an increase in numbers since 2000.
So why aren't there more women at the helm of college athletic programs? The answer remains unclear. However, the following eight women have proven that females can lead successful Division I athletic programs. Under the vision and direction of these superwomen, their respective schools have reached national prominence in athletic competition as well as in the classroom.
Sandy Barbour - University of California-Berkeley
Beginning as a lacrosse administrative assistant at Massachusetts in 1981, Sandy Barbour's career in athletic administration has spanned more than 22 years and five schools. Working her way up through the ranks, Barbour has served as assistant AD at Northwestern and associate AD at Tulane. In 1996, after Tulane's director of athletics departed for another school, Barbour took over the reigns, leading the Green Wave to four conference championships in her first year. One of only eight Division I-A female ADs at the time, Tulane won a total of 12 conference titles and the football team earned a No. 7 national ranking under Barbour. After spending just over a year as Notre Dame's deputy director of athletics, in September 2004 Barbour was named AD at the University of California-Berkeley, where she currently leads a 27-sport program. "She is a natural when it comes to building relationships, and that's probably as invaluable as experience," Notre Dame associate AD John Heisler said about Barbour in a Contra Costa Times article. If Barbour's prior experience is any indication of her future at Cal -- one of only four schools selected to U.S. News and World Report's College Sports Honor Roll and the Director's Cup rankings -- then look for the Golden Bears to shine both on and off the field.
Kathy Beauregard -Western Michigan University
Kathy Beauregard definitely doesn't shy away from multitasking. An integral part of the Western Michigan athletic department in a variety of positions since 1979, WMU director of athletics Beauregard also serves as chair of the NCAA Olympic Sports Liaison Committee, which gives her a seat on the United States Olympic Committee Board of Directors, one of only two representatives from NCAA Division I schools. Beauregard came to WMU in 1979 when she was hired as the head women's gymnastics coach, producing two Mid-American Conference championships in nine seasons. As the senior associate AD from 1993 to 1997, she managed all WMU's revenue sports, the school's compliance with NCAA rules, and athletic marketing and communications, among other duties. WMU's 17 intercollegiate sports teams have thrived under Beauregard's leadership since she was named director of athletics in 1997. The football team set new single-game and season attendance marks in 1999, while in 2000, the women's tennis team won the MAC tournament title and made its second straight NCAA appearance. And although Beauregard's success at WMU is largely based on numbers (win/losses, attendance, GPA, etc.), it doesn't compare to the leadership and guidance she provides to all WMU's student-athletes. [pic2]
Joan Cronan - University of Tennessee (women's AD)
By far one of the most successful female ADs ever, Joan Cronan has been a mainstay at the University of Tennessee for 22 years. First signing on to coach women's basketball in 1968, Cronan became the director of women's athletics in 1984, and since has guided the Lady Vols to 14 national championships, most notably six in women's basketball. And although every Lady Vol athlete has a coach to admire, no one quite fits that bill as well as Cronan. Prior to Tennessee, Cronan served as the AD of the College of Charleston for 10 years, during one of which -- 1980 -- the women's athletic program was selected No. 1 in the nation by the American Women's Sports Foundation. In 1995, Cronan was honored for her outstanding work with the regional award for the National Association of Collegiate Women's Athletic Administrators. A legend on both the local and national levels, she has served on the NCAA's Executive Committee and Management Council, and she is a member of the NCAA Championship Cabinet. As long as Cronan is at the helm for the Lady Vols, they're sure to continue to contend for championships in the future.
Bev Lewis - University of Arkansas (women's AD)
In 15 years as the AD of the University of Arkansas, Bev Lewis has completely transformed the 11-sport women's athletics program. During the 1999-00 season, all 10 Lady Razorback teams made the postseason, and eight of the 10 played in their respective championship games. And you have to be a legend on campus if a building is named in your honor. The 40,000 square-foot Bev Lewis Center for Women's Athletics is the first training facility for the exclusive use of female student-athletes. Assembling a coaching staff of national champions and Olympic team staff members, Lewis has combined her dedication with community participation to make Arkansas an outstanding institution for women's athletics. Aware of it or not, Lewis has provided Arkansas' female athletes with a role model to look up to and guided them toward a solid foundation for their futures.
Lisa Love - Arizona State University
Becoming Arizona State's first female AD is no easy task, but Lisa Love has had her fair share of practice -- she has been senior associate AD at USC since 2002. At USC, she monitored all women's sports and managed the day-to-day operations for eight team sports, including women's basketball, volleyball, tennis, and men's and women's swimming and diving. She brings her experience at one PAC-10 school to another in ASU. And USC administrators see only great things for Love, who has also served as the Trojan women's volleyball coach and associate AD. "She's a great communicator and a real people's person," USC AD Mike Garrett said. "She'll pick great coaches and employees, and she'll manage that department in a way that people will feel very good about being at Arizona State." Love will be in charge of the management and development of a 22-sport program, as she will also look to maintain the academic success of Sun Devil student-athletes, which has included a GPA of 3.0 or higher for 58 percent of all student-athletes. Although Love's tenure as vice president of university athletics won't start until July 1, the future is bright for Arizona State athletics.
Judy MacLeod - University of Tulsa
Judy MacLeod has spent the majority of her career at the University of Tulsa, working at positions on every level -- from graduate assistant to director of ticket sales to assistant AD. But it wasn't until MacLeod was named director of athletics in 1997, after spending 16 months as interim AD, that she had a hand in every aspect of Tulsa athletics. On the field, Tulsa sports teams have excelled under MacLeod, winning a total of 13 Western Athletic Conference championships in her seven seasons as AD. This success has carried over to the classroom, where in 2003-04, 12 of Tulsa's 18 teams posted a grade point average above 3.0. And MacLeod has been awarded for her hard work, winning the Central Region Athletics Director of the Year award from the National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors (NACDA) in June 2004. MacLeod has also been active in Tulsa's fund-raising efforts, helping the Golden Hurricane Club consistently raise over $2 million annually. She has been a positive influence and remains an outlet of support for all of Tulsa's student-athletes.
Christine Plonsky - University of Texas (women's AD)
Being associated with the University of Texas for 17 years, Christine Plonsky knows the ins and outs of Longhorn sports. Plonsky joined the Texas athletic program in 1982 when she served five years as the women's sports information director. After a seven-year stint with the Big East conference, Plonsky returned to Texas and currently, in her fifth year as the Longhorns' women's sports AD, leads an 11-sport program that has won 16 Big 12 conference championships during her reign. She also manages corporate sponsorship sales and radio, TV and Internet broadcasting for men's and women's athletics. And her hard work has paid off. In September 2004, she was selected the 2003-04 NCAA Division I-A Athletic Administrator of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA). Following in the footsteps of former Texas' director of women's sports and Foundation CEO Donna Lopiano, Plonsky has continued to build upon the history and tradition of one of the greatest women's collegiate sports programs in the country.
Deborah Yow - University of Maryland
Managing 27 intercollegiate sports at the University of Maryland, AD Deborah Yow always has her plate full, but that hasn't stopped the past president of NACDA from improving all aspects of the Terps' athletic program. Under Yow's guidance, Maryland has won nine NCAA national championships, most notably seven in women's lacrosse, and 33 Atlantic Coast Conference tournament or regular-season championships. The university was recognized for its outstanding academic and athletic achievements when it was named to U.S. News and World Report's College Sports Honor Roll, recognizing the top 20 schools in five categories: graduation rate, gender equity, win/loss record, sanctions and number of sports offered. Elected into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame in 2003, Yow has contributed to the school's fund-raising efforts, as private gifts to Maryland athletics have increased more than 350 percent during her tenure. Luckily for the Terps, Yow signed a two-year contract extension in November to remain with the university until 2010. Through her unprecedented achievements at Maryland, Yow has set a standard of success for which all Terp student-athletes should strive.
References
1 Acosta, Ph.D., R. Vivian and Linda Jean Carpenter, Ph.D. "Women in Intercollegiate Sport: A Longitudinal National Study, Twenty Seven Year Update: 1977-2004," Brooklyn College.
2 Tatko, Ann. "Cal's New Wonder Woman," www.nacwaa.org.
3 "ASU names Lisa Love vice president for athletics," www.asu.edu. April 25, 2005.
