NACDA AD of the Year Winners Announced

Lake Buena Vista, Florida -- The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced the 25 winners of the NACDA AD of the Year Award (ADOY) today.

There are four geographic regions - northeast, southeast, central and west; while the membership is separated into six categories - Division I-A; Division I-AA/I-AAA combined; Division II, Division III; NAIA/Other Four-Year Institutions combined; and Junior/Community Colleges. One winner was selected in each of the six categories, along with one international winner for a total of 25 honorees. Winners will receive their awards during the James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon at NACDA's 38th Annual Convention at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

NACDA Executive Director Mike Cleary says the ADOY Award is essential because it highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to campuses and their surrounding communities.

"Our Honors and Awards Committee recognized a need for an award such as the AD of the Year," said Cleary, who oversaw implementation of the program to allow all NACDA Officers and Honors and Awards Committee members to participate in the awards process, should they be elected. "The program brings to light the exceptional jobs done by athletics directors across the country. These 25 winners exemplify that, providing us with a group of outstanding athletics directors who excel at their jobs."

Winners of the 2002-03 NACDA AD of the Year Award are:

All NACDA-member directors of athletics in the United States, Canada and Mexico who met the criteria were eligible for the award. Among the criteria were service as an AD for a minimum of five academic years; demonstration of commitment to higher education and student-athletes; continuous teamwork, loyalty and excellence; and the ability to inspire individuals or groups to high levels of accomplishments. Additionally, each AD's institution must have passed a compliance check through its appropriate governing body (i.e., NCAA, NAIA, etc.), in which the institution could not have been on probation or cited for a lack of institutional control within the last five years during the tenure of the current athletics director.

Nominators were NACDA-member directors of athletics, institutional presidents and conference commissioners. Special Selection Committees composed of current and former directors of athletics, present and past NCAA and NAIA presidents, current and former commissioners and other key athletics administrators voted on nominees for the award. A complete listing of Selection Committee members can be found on NACDA's web site at www.nacda.com.

NACDA, which is now in its 37th year, is the professional and educational association for more than 6,100 college athletics directors, associates, assistants and conference commissioners at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. Through its series of management seminars, clinics and workshops and publication of the bi-monthly magazine Athletics Administration, NACDA offers educational opportunities to its members. More than 1,200 athletics administrators annually attend the NACDA Convention. Additionally, the Association operates the NACDA Directors' Cup program, which honors the all-sports champion in each of the NCAA Divisions -- I, II, III -- and the NAIA, for a total of four trophies.

A brief biography follows on each award winner.

Division I-A

Tim Curley, Penn State University, Northeast
NACDA's third vice president, Tim Curley's decade as athletics director at Penn State University has included six top 10 finishes in the Directors' Cup standings, 10 NCAA championships; 16 men and women's Final Four appearances in five sports and 30 Big Ten Conference titles. During his tenure, Penn State was one of only 10 Division I-A Honor Roll institutions as ranked by U.S. News and World Report in 2002 and was named top athletics program in the nation in 1999 by The Sporting News. The university has tied for the highest graduation rate among Division I-A public institutions, at 82 percent; and is ranked first in Academic All Big Ten selections with 209. Curley is guiding a $145 million fund raising and athletics facilities campaign, including expansion, renovation or construction of Beaver Stadium, Lasch Football Building, an indoor multi-sport facility, tennis center, the White Building and the east area locker room. He also oversees the intramural and club sports program, which includes more than 50 teams and 4,100 participants in club sports and 20,000 participants in intramurals at all 21 Penn State sites around the state. Previously, Curley had been Penn State's football recruiting coordinator, assistant and associate athletics director. He earned both his bachelor and master's degree from Penn State.

Gene Smith, Arizona State University, West
NACDA's president in 1994-95, Gene Smith was selected as the athletics director at Arizona State University in 2000. In his first year, all 11 women's programs advanced to NCAA post-season competition, including the first tournament appearance for the women's soccer team, the highest national finish in school history for cross country and the first Pac-10 Conference title for women's basketball. In 2002, the women's basketball team won the inaugural Pac-10 Conference Tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Smith also helped complete a $30 million capital campaign at ASU. A member of the NCAA Management Council, Smith was also on the NCAA's Men's Basketball Committee, the Working Committee to Study Basketball Issues and President's Commission Liaison Committee. He served on the Division 1A Athletics Directors Association Executive Committee, is vice president of the Pac-10 Executive Committee and chair of the Pac-10 Football Officiating Committee. He is also a member of the Honors Court of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. Smith had previously served as athletics director at Iowa State University and Eastern Michigan University. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Rick Taylor, Northwestern University, Central
The director of athletics at Northwestern University since 1994, Rick Taylor has been successful in increasing revenue, improving facilities and upgrading resources for scholarships and recruiting, ensuring that by 2004 all of Northwestern women's sports will be funded 100 percent for grants-in-aid. Since his arrival, 13 Northwestern teams have been ranked in the top 50 nationally, with field hockey and men's golf both earning the top spot. The facilities have undergone significant improvements including renovation of Ryan Field, Anderson Hall and all varsity locker rooms; renovation and expansion of the weight room; and construction of a multi-purpose indoor practice facility, indoor tennis center, golf center inside Patten Gymnasium, field hockey and soccer complex and extra practice facilities for volleyball and basketball. During his tenure, Northwestern was ranked as the 17th best athletics program in the nation by The Sporting News. Prior to his arrival at Northwestern, Taylor was the athletics director at the University of Cincinnati and had been with Boston University for 12 years, where he was 55-32-1 in eight years as the football coach, making him the winningest coach in school history. He was also named the UPI Coach of the Year in 1980. Taylor received his bachelor's degree from Gettysburg College and his master's degree from Montclair State College.

Ron Wellman, Wake Forest University, Southeast
Ron Wellman has been athletics director at Wake Forest University since 1992. Upon his arrival, he embarked on an ambitious facility improvement program, including a new soccer stadium, indoor tennis center and field house. Construction on the Kenneth D. Miller Center was completed in September, providing additional space for the student services and CHAMPS programs and a new practice facility for the men and women's basketball teams. He also instituted an annual Academic Excellence Banquet, honoring student-athletes who have achieved in the classroom. During his tenure, many of the Demon Deacons teams have been ranked among nation's top 25. Wellman serves on the NCAA Division I Management Council and is chair of the Division I Baseball Committee. Wellman previously was a coach, athletics director and professor at Elmhurst College, where he led his baseball teams to more than 200 victories; was the head baseball coach at Northwestern University; and served as the athletics director at Minnesota State University-Mankato and Illinois State University. He was inducted into the Elmhurst Hall of Fame in 1985 and, in five of his last seven years at Elmhurst, was named the conference Coach of the Year. Wellman earned bachelor and master's degrees from Bowling Green State University.

Division I-AA/I-AAA

Curtis Blake, Rider University, Northeast
Since 1991, five varsity sports have been added and virtually all of Rider University's 20 teams have competed in NCAA tournaments or won championships under Athletics Director Curtis Blake's leadership. His accomplishments include renovating the gymnasium and construction of a softball field and track and field complex. He is part of a team developing Rider's new Sports and Recreation Center. Rider won the Council of Athletic Administrators of New Jersey (CAANJ) Cup for Division I schools three of the five years it has been awarded. During Blake's tenure, the men's soccer team won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship twice and advanced to its first two NCAA tournaments, the men's basketball team made the NCAA tournament in 1993 and 1994, the volleyball and softball teams won conference championships and participated in the NCAA tournament; the field hockey team won two Northeast Conference championships; and the women's swimming and diving team won its first MAAC title. Blake is chair of the NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee, is president-elect of the Eastern College Athletic Conference, is a past president of the CAANJ and served on the National Wrestling Coaches Association Board of Directors. Previously, Blake was the athletics director at Drake University and also worked at the University of Pennsylvania and at Colgate University. He earned his bachelor's degree from Springfield College.

Wayne Hogan, University of Montana, West
Wayne Hogan has been the athletics director at the University of Montana for eight years. Facility improvements in that time have included upgrades to the football stadium and track and field complex, completion of the athletics department offices and a gift raised by the National Advisory Board for Grizzly Athletics to design and construct a hall of champions. The football team has appeared in the Division I-AA national championship game four times, bringing home titles in 1995 and 2001, has been in the playoffs every year, won seven Big Sky Conference football championships and posted a record of 84-18. In 1996 and 1999, Montana won conference championships in football and men's and women's basketball. Previously, Hogan worked for several minor league baseball teams, as an assistant sports information and marketing director for the University of New Mexico and for Florida State University as the sports information director, assistant athletics director and, in 1994-95, interim athletics director. He was instrumental in the school's acceptance into the Atlantic Coast Conference. Hogan received his bachelor's degree from Florida State.

Jim Jarrett, Old Dominion University, Southeast
Jim Jarrett arrived at Old Dominion University in 1967 as a health and physical education professor, and has served as the director of athletics for 32 years. He guided the NCAA Division II program that won a national crown in men's basketball in 1975, to a nationally respected Division I power that captured 26 national championships. In 1974, Old Dominion became the first university in the state of Virginia to award grants-in-aid to female student-athletes. Five years later, the Lady Monarchs won the first of three national championships in women's basketball, and led the nation in attendance. Jarrett's participation in the first NCAA Women's Basketball Committee resulted in Old Dominion hosting the first two NCAA women's basketball Final Four tournaments. Under Jarrett's leadership, the number of ODU athletics facilities have tripled, including construction of baseball and outdoor tennis complexes, sailing center, soccer stadium, convocation center; and renovations to the football field. Jarrett has served on the NCAA Management Council; the Oversight Committee on the NCAA Membership Structure; Committee on Women's Athletics; and the Women's Basketball and Student-Athlete Welfare committees. He is past president of the Colonial Athletic Association and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. In 1991, he received the Collegiate Director's Award from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and, in 1989, was named the Man of the Year by the Norfolk Sports Club.

John Parry, Butler University, Central
A member of NACDA's Executive Committee, John Parry is completing his 13th year as director of athletics at Butler University. Under his leadership, Butler has added women's soccer and golf and men's lacrosse, and has become nationally recognized as having one of the best mid-major men's basketball programs in the country. The university has won 40 regular season and tournament conference championships in 12 sports and has had 18 NCAA tournament appearances in nine sports. Butler has topped the conference in number of student-athletes named to the Academic Honor Roll for seven consecutive years and regularly graduates 80 percent of its student-athletes in a four-year period. Butler is the only school in the Horizon League that has been a multiple winner of the league's All Sports Trophy. During his tenure, improvements have been made to the soccer/lacrosse, baseball and softball fields, outdoor track and weight room. Parry has served on the NCAA Management Council, Lacrosse Committee; Division I Men's Basketball and Football Issues committees; as chair of the Horizon League's Executive Committee and athletics directors; and on the local organizing committees for the 1997, 2000 and 2006 Men's Basketball Final Four; 1999 and 2003 Men's Basketball first/second rounds. Parry previously spent 11 years as athletics director at Brown University, where he was inducted into their Football Hall of Fame in 1975. He earned his bachelor's degree from Brown and his master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Jeff May, Lander University, Southeast
Jeff May became director of athletics at Lander University in 1997, after holding several other positions at the university since 1974. As athletics director, May increased the number of sports from nine to 11 and established the university's athletics hall of fame. Additionally, the school's student-athletes have achieved an overall GPA that exceeds that of the general student body. May is chair of the Peach Belt Conference committee and served on the NCAA South Atlantic Regional Basketball Committee. He had previously served Lander as vice president for university advancement, executive director of the Lander Foundation, director of student activities, assistant men's basketball coach and admissions counselor. A former basketball player at Lander, May is the only NAIA District VI basketball player named All-District four consecutive years and was inducted into the Lander University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999. May has volunteered for numerous organizations and, in 1983, was named the South Carolina Special Olympics Volunteer of the Year and was one of three Special Olympics Volunteers recognized in the United States. He has also received the Greenwood Outstanding Service Award and the Lander Distinguished Alumni Award. He holds a bachelor's degree from Lander and received a master's degree from Clemson University.

Wayne Poage, Dallas Baptist University, West
The director of athletics at Dallas Baptist University since 1995, Wayne Poage has expanded the department from four to 14 teams and increased the percentage of female student-athletes from 12 to 43 percent, while quadrupling the women's scholarship budget. Under his leadership, Dallas Baptist completed the transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II in 2002, while every athletics facility has undergone renovation. He has initiated many programs, including a Breakfast of Champions and President's Award for student-athletes with a GPA of 3.50 or higher; Patriot Award, for the student-athlete that best represents DBU athletics in academics, spiritual leadership and athletics performance; and started and teaches a sports ethics course as part of the sports management major curriculum. A member of NACDA's Executive Committee, Poage serves on the NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Committee and has previously been president of the NAIA Council of Independents, chair of the NAIA National Coordinating Committee; and on the NAIA Southwest Regional Coordinating Committee and the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame Selection Committee. He was named the 1999 NAIA Southwest Athletics Administrator of the Year and was one of the 1982 and 1988 Outstanding Young Men of America. Poage previously was the assistant athletics director/sports information director at Dallas Baptist. He received his bachelor's degree from Dallas Baptist and his master's degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Tim Selgo, Grand Valley State University, Central
The director of athletics at Grand Valley State University for seven years, Tim Selgo led the expansion of the football stadium, and additions and upgrades to the track, weight room, fieldhouse and baseball and softball fields. As a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), the university has won the past four Presidents' Trophies, awarded to the top all sports athletics program in the GLIAC. Additionally, they placed second in the Directors' Cup standings. Grand Valley has produced numerous conference champions, earning top national rankings, including their first Division II football championship in 2002. Selgo had previously been the athletics director at Ashland University and associate athletics director, assistant men's basketball coach and head women's basketball coach at the University of Toledo. He was inducted into Toledo's Hall of Fame in 2001. Selgo earned his bachelor and master's degrees from Toledo.

Dana Skinner, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Northeast
The athletics director at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell since 1995, Dana Skinner has led the addition and renovation of close to $70 million worth of athletics facilities, including construction of the campus recreation center; facilities for ice hockey, baseball, softball, soccer; and a complex for football, field hockey and track and field. He initiated the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, CHAMPS/Life Skills program and played a critical role in changing the school's nickname and logo from the Chiefs to the River Hawks. He was also instrumental in UMass-Lowell gaining admittance to the Northeast-10 Conference. The university's student-athletes have received numerous citations from the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) for their community outreach, including the NCAS Community Service Award the last three years. Skinner increased the number of opportunities for women, including scholarship support, and added coaching positions for women's programs. The university's National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) was recognized for its excellence in 1999 by being selected as the recipient of the Silvio O. Conte Award, presented to the top program in the nation. The former 1978 draft pick of the Boston Celtics, Skinner was inducted into the Merrimack College Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Danvers High School Hall of Fame in 1990. Skinner earned his bachelor's degree from Merrimack College and his master's from St. Thomas University.

Division III

Al Ackerman, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Central
Al Ackerman has been the athletics director at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh since 1991, during which time his teams have won 12 national and 52 conference championships in 22 sports programs. The school has placed in the top 10 of the Directors' Cup the past several years. Additionally, UW-Oshkosh has hosted the Division III baseball and men and women's cross country and indoor track and field championships. Ackerman has overseen physical changes in excess of $3.7 million, including construction of a new natatorium; and remodeling and upgrades to the university's stadium, indoor sports complexes and weight facility. His fund-raising efforts have increased the department's income 100 percent. Ackerman has served on the NCAA's Committee on Committees and the Track and Field and Women's Volleyball Committees. In 2001, Ackerman received the Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau's Pinnacle Award for his efforts to bring the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship to Fox Cities Stadium in 2000. Previously, Ackerman was director of athletics, facilities manager and a football and track and field coach at Elmhurst College. Ackerman has been active in Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Boy Scouts, March of Dimes and the YMCA. He earned both his bachelor and master's degrees from Ohio University.

Division III

John Harper, Bridgewater State College, Northeast
The director of athletics at Bridgewater State College since 1991, John Harper has been instrumental in numerous programming, staffing and facilities improvements. This includes the construction of a baseball/softball complex and the Adrian Tinsley Center, which houses the athletics and recreation department and several academic departments. He serves on the NCAA Management Council, was chair of the NCAA Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee and a member of the NCAA Woman of the Year Selection Committee. He is also on the New England College Athletic Conference (NECAC) Executive Board and has served as secretary, vice president, president and commissioner of the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference. The recipient of numerous honors, Harper received the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Citation for Outstanding Performance in 1999; the Special Olympics-Massachusetts Outstanding Games Director of the Year Award in 1999; the Boston Globe South Sectional Sportsman of the Year Award in 2000 and the All-American Football Foundation's General Robert R. Neyland Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. Previously, Harper has worked at Wichita State University, George Washington University and Southwest Missouri State University. Harper earned his bachelor's degree from Ithaca College and his master's degree from Indiana University in 1974.

Geoff Miller, Goucher College, Southeast
Geoff Miller is in his ninth year as director of athletics and chair of physical education for Goucher College, where he also teaches sports administration. During his tenure, the school added track and field and constructed an eight-lane track and field stadium. The school has won six Capital Athletic Conference titles and seven NCAA championship bids since his arrival. He created the post of academic support coordinator and a guest coach program. Additionally, faculty members are periodically invited to take part in team practices and games. Last year, 15 of the school's 17 teams earned a combined GPA of 3.0 or better, with 54 percent of the student-athletes achieving a 3.2 or higher, the best in the conference. Miller has been president of the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association and the Capital Athletic Conference. He also served on the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Committee. Miller had previously been the athletics director and chair of physical education at Washington College for seven years and served in a variety of positions at Guilford College, including associate director of athletics, fund raising coordinator of the Quaker Club and head coach of the men's lacrosse team. In 1986, Miller was named the NCAA Division III Lacrosse Coach of the Year. Miller earned his bachelor's degree from Amherst College and his master's degree from the University of Massachusetts.

Steve Wallo, Lewis & Clark College, West
Steve Wallo, known for work on gender equity, was hired as director of athletics and physical education at Lewis & Clark College in 1993 after serving as that institution's sports information director and assistant athletics director. He had previously worked at Lewis & Clark as an assistant baseball coach from 1988-92. During Wallo's tenure, the facilities have undergone several upgrades, including improvements to the Pamplin Sports Center, softball and baseball fields, track and tennis facility. Under his leadership, the athletics department annually offers several wellness clinics or mini-workshops to the campus community, including weight training, cross training, aqua aerobics, rowing, fitness walking and first aid/CPR. Wallo was chair of the NCAA Division III Championships and Women's Basketball committees. He is also chair of the Northwest Conference, where he established a master schedule of an eight-year rotation of championship events. Additionally, he served as media coordinator for several NAIA championships. Wallo earned both his bachelor and master's degrees from Lewis & Clark.

NAIA Institution

Jim Dennison, Walsh University, Northeast
Jim Dennison has been the athletics director since 1993 and head football coach since 1995 at Walsh University. During this time, Walsh has placed first or second in the American Mideast Conference (AMC) All-Sports Trophy rankings every year. The women's basketball team captured the Division II national championship and, in 2002, the volleyball team won the conference title. Dennison initiated the Athletic-Academic Awards Banquet and Recognition Ceremony to promote academic excellence. He also instituted a Captain's Council to solve problems specific to the student-athlete experience and developed the Community Awareness Program, which places more than 200 Walsh student-athletes in community service experiences each year. These initiatives led to Walsh being named an NAIA Champions of Character Institution in 2000 and 2001. Dennison has helped secure the financing to renovate the gymnasium and track, build the women's softball field, upgrade practice fields for football and soccer and resurface the tennis courts. Dennison had previously been the head football coach for 13 years and athletics director for seven years at the University of Akron. He became the first athletics director in the nation to move a program from NCAA Division I-AA to I-A. Additionally, he is the winningest football coach in Akron's history, posting a 13-year record of 80-62-2. He was also named national Coach of the Year for all divisions of collegiate football. Dennison received his bachelor's degree from the College of Wooster.

Dan Harris, Baker University, Central
Dan Harris has been affiliated with Baker University since 1983 and has been the athletics director and chair of physical education since 1995. He had previously been the head baseball and football coach. He developed an athletics training program and curriculum for student trainer interns and created an academic emphasis in sports administration. Harris was chair of NAIA Region V, on the NAIA Workshop Committee and the board of governors for the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC). He was named the Outstanding Administrator by the Student Senate in 2000, and was the Student Activities Committee Outstanding Community Member of the Year in 2001. Other accolades include NAIA District X baseball Coach of the Year in 1993, HAAC baseball Coach of the Year in 1992 and 1993 and Volunteer of the Year from the Douglas County Special Olympics and Special Populations communities in 1987. Previously, Harris had been an assistant football and wrestling coach at Central Missouri State University. He received his bachelor's degree from William Jewell College and his master's degree from Drury College.

Dave Holmquist, Biola University, West
The director of athletics for 23 years and the men's basketball coach for 26 years, Dave Holmquist has left an indelible mark on Biola University. A member of the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) Executive Committee, Holmquist was named the NAIA Region II Athletics Director of the Year and the GSAC Athletics Director of the Year in 2001. The four-time NAIA District III Coach of the Year and two-time GSAC Coach of the Year, Holmquist has posted a record of 636-218, and his teams have advanced to the NAIA tournament 13 times. He won 20 games or more in 21 of 23 seasons, with an average mark of 26-8. He has won more district championships than any coach in the history of California NAIA basketball. He became the youngest active basketball coach in history, at any level, to win 300, 400, 500 and 600 games, the latter coming at age 50 during the 2001-02 season. He has been inducted into the NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame. Holmquist had previously been the athletics director and men's basketball coach at Fresno Pacific College. He earned his bachelor's degree from Biola; four master's degrees (physical education, marriage and family counseling, European history, Theology), two from California State University-Fullerton and two from Biola; and his doctorate from the University of Southern California. He is working on his fifth master's degree in philosophy at California State University-Long Beach.

Steve Ridder, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Fla.), Southeast
The director of athletics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, Steve Ridder also coaches the men's basketball team, which has become a powerhouse in the NAIA Division II ranks. During his tenure, improvements have included the addition of five women's teams; restructuring of the Eagle Athletics Association; an increase in scholarships; expansion of the ICI Center; and construction of the baseball facility. In 2001-02, the Eagles were ranked 13th in Directors' Cup Standings. They have claimed the Florida Sun Conference (FSC) All-Sports Trophy the last three years, becoming only the second team in the league's history to accomplish that feat. Ridder was named the Regional Athletics Administrator of the Year in 1995 and the FSC Athletics Administrator of the Year in 1998 and 1999. He has twice coached the basketball team to a national top 10 ranking (1999-2000, 2000-01), with a school best record of 32-4 in 2000-01. In 1999-2000, Ridder led his team to its first NAIA championship and was named Coach of the Year. His teams have advanced to the NAIA tournament seven times and have garnered 10 FSC championships - five regular-season and five league tournament crowns. Ridder, a member of the FSC Executive Committee, had previously spent 12 years at Berea College (Ky.), where he received the Berea College Distinguished Young Alumnus Award in 1996. Ridder earned his bachelor's degree from Berea and his master's degree from Eastern Kentucky University.

Junior/Community College

Ron Case, Gloucester County College, Northeast
A former member of NACDA's Executive Committee and past president of the National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA), Ron Case has been the athletics director at Gloucester County College since 1991. He started women's soccer, softball and basketball and revitalized the women's tennis program. A new fitness/wellness center, gymnasium and locker room renovation, installation of an outdoor irrigation system and major improvements to all outdoor playing fields have occurred under Case's supervision. His teams have finished in the top three nationally 28 times, winning 11 NJCAA Division III titles. They have also won the College Athletic Administrators of New Jersey (CAANJ) Community College Cup four of the five years since the award was established. Case is a past president of Garden State Athletic Conference and the CAANJ. He was also chair of the Region XIX wrestling and baseball committees. In 2002, he was the recipient of the L. William Miller Award, presented by NATYCAA, for his contributions to two-year college athletics. Previously, Case was a coach at Colgate University and athletics director and coach at Penn State University-Delaware County. He earned his bachelor and master's degrees from SUNY-Cortland.

Jim Cox, Miami-Dade Community College, Southeast
Jim Cox has spent the last five years as athletics director at Miami-Dade Community College, overseeing a program that has produced three national championships; seven Florida Community College Activities Association (FCCAA) state championships and 12 FCCAA Southern Conference titles. He has been instrumental in maintaining a 78 percent transfer rate of student-athletes progressing to upper level institutions. He has been commissioner, supervisor of officials and on the Executive Committee of the FCCAA, state chair of men's basketball, chair of the Southern Conference and the NJCAA women's volleyball tournament director for seven years. Cox has been honored with 17 Southern Conference or state Coach of the Year awards, was inducted into the NJCAA women's volleyball Hall of Fame in 2001; received the school's Professional Employee Excellence Award six times; and the Physical Education Faculty Member of the Year award for 1985. He is also an adjunct professor in the graduate sports administration program at St. Thomas University. Previously, Cox held numerous positions at Miami-Dade, including assistant director of athletics, director of sports information and director of campus facilities and community events. He earned both his bachelor and master's degrees from Biscayne College (now St. Thomas). He is currently pursuing his doctorate at Florida International University.

Karen Guthmiller, Lee College, West
A member of NACDA's Executive Committee and the second vice president of the National Alliance of Two-Year Community College Athletics Administrators (NATYCAA), Karen Guthmiller joined Lee College as athletics director in 1993. She was instrumental in securing funding for the construction of a new wellness center/sports complex and tennis facility. She also established the Class Act academic incentive program for student-athletes earning at least a 3.0 GPA each semester and the President's Service Award for service to the college and community. A former volleyball coach, Lee ranks first among inactive volleyball coaches in the NJCAA. She was inducted into the NJCAA Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Peoria Hall of Fame in 1983. A former assistant athletics director and multi-sport coach at Illinois Central College, Lee led her volleyball teams to more than 500 wins and 13 national tournament appearances. She had previously been an assistant volleyball coach at Illinois State University, earning two Missouri Valley Championships and finishing in the NCAA Sweet 16. Guthmiller also coached with the USA Volleyball Junior and Senior Elite Team and the U.S. Olympic Festival. Guthmiller earned her bachelor's degree from the University of South Dakota and her master's degree from Southern Illinois University.

Kevin Steele, Redlands Community College, Central
In the nine years Kevin Steele has served as athletics director at Redlands Community College, he has doubled the size of the department by adding three sports, renovated the gym and locker rooms and added an indoor golf practice area and a baseball hitting facility. He raised funds for a new baseball scoreboard and is now working on campus housing and a new sports arena. Women's volleyball, one of the new sports, reached the national tournament in only three years. The addition of that sport was key to bringing Redlands into Title IX compliance. He also added and serves as coach of both men and women's golf, which was funded through a 10-year, $1 million contract with Pepsi. The women's team completed last season ranked eighth in the nation. Steele also developed a full-time athletics trainer position and was instrumental in the school building a new fitness/wellness center, which contains a training room and office space for the physical therapy clinic. Steele has been the NJCAA Region II Director for Women. He joined Redlands after a year as a program development specialist with the Center for Business and Economic Development at the University of Oklahoma. He had also served as the assistant to the athletics business director at Oklahoma. Steele received his bachelor's degree from Arizona State University and his master's degree from Oklahoma.

International

Therese Quigley, McMaster University
One of only two female athletics directors in Canada, Therese Quigley has held that position at McMaster University since 1990. She was instrumental in establishing the Marauder Scholar Award, honoring student-athletes who have achieved excellence in academics and athletics; and developed an Athletes Bursary Fund to assist athletes in financial need. She successfully bid for and hosted Canadian University championships for men's soccer and women's rugby and basketball. She was part of the hosting committee for the 1996 women's basketball Olympic qualifying tournament and was instrumental in adding women's soccer to the World University Games in 1993, which was hosted at McMaster. In 1993, The Sports Network (TSN) established an award in her name - the Therese Quigley TSN Award for women's volleyball, which is presented to the student-athlete who best combines academics, athletics and community involvement. She was named Woman of the Year in Sport, Health and Fitness in Hamilton in 1994; the Ontario Women's Interuniversity Athletic Association West Coach of the Year in 1985, 1986 and 1987; and received the Women's Athletics Alumnae Award by the University of Western Ontario in 1993. Quigley has been on the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union Board of Directors; is a past president of Ontario University Athletics and has been on its Executive Committee. The former women's volleyball coach at McMaster, Quigley received an honours degree and an Ontario teacher's certificate from Western Ontario and her master's degree from the University of Alberta.