CLEVELAND (August 15, 2022) – The NACDA Board of Directors has officially appointed SMU Director of Athletics Rick Hart to serve as the Association's President for the 2022-23 academic year. Hart has served as a NACDA Officer since 2020 and was previously a NACDA Executive Committee member from 2012-16.
 
Hart replaces Past President Jamie Pollard, Director of Athletics at Iowa State University, whose tenure concluded after the 2022 NACDA & Affiliates Convention in Las Vegas earlier this summer.
 
"It is an honor to serve an organization that is at the heart of collegiate athletics across all divisions," said Hart. "Our industry continues to evolve and there has never been a more important time to facilitate impactful conversations and invest in future leaders.
 
"I look forward to supporting the NACDA staff in their efforts as we transition in leadership from Bob (Vecchione) to Pat (Manak). Together, along with our Officers and Executive Committee, we will work to bring the membership together in meaningful ways and to celebrate the opportunities and outcomes associated with the student-athlete experience."
 
Hart's father, Dave Hart, Jr., was also NACDA President in 1999-2000 while AD at Florida State University. The Harts join Greg Byrne (University of Alabama, NACDA President 2019-20) and Bill Byrne (University of Oregon, NACDA President 1991-92) as the second father-son duo to serve as NACDA President in the Association's 57-year history. Additionally, Hart's grandfather, Dave Hart, Sr., served on the NACDA Executive Committee from 1979-83, and was 3^rd and 2^nd Vice President in 1984-85 during his time leading the athletics department at the University of Missouri.
 
"NACDA has been synonymous with the Hart family for decades, and we are proud to continue this tradition with Rick taking the reins and leading the Association to new heights," said NACDA Chief Executive Officer Bob Vecchione. "With the landscape of the collegiate enterprise in a state of flux, Rick brings us the best of both worlds, a modern perspective with an historical lineage to the President's chair, which will enhance our efforts in education and professional development for NACDA members across the board."

Hart was named SMU's director of athletics in July 2012. During Hart's decade on the Hilltop, SMU has repeatedly shown its commitment to competing at the top level of college athletics and to providing a best-in-class student-athlete experience. In the last three years alone, SMU has invested over $125 million in football construction projects, pushing the total invested in SMU Athletics facilities to a quarter of a billion dollars since 2013.
 
Under Hart's direction, SMU has also reinforced its long-standing commitment to student-athlete development, well-being and experience by expanding its health, safety and well-being initiatives and staffing, its personal and professional development programs and degree completion opportunities.
 
Hart came to SMU after six years as director of athletics at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) during which time he was a member of the FCS ADA Executive Committee. Hart served seven years at Oklahoma in various athletics administrative capacities, ending as the senior associate athletics director in 2006. Hart has also worked in athletics at North Carolina and East Carolina and has served with the U.S. Olympic Committee.
 
Hart, together with 1^st Vice President Pat Chun, Washington State University, 2^nd Vice President Ross Bjork, Texas A&M University, and Secretary Pennie Parker, Rollins College, welcome University of Pittsburgh Director of Athletics Heather Lyke as NACDA's 3^rd Vice President for 2022-23. Lyke has served as the AD at Pitt since March 2017 and has been a member of the NACDA Executive Committee since 2019.
 
"It is an honor to serve this distinguished organization that has impacted countless lives in intercollegiate athletics," said Lyke. "I am grateful for the professional development opportunities NACDA has provided as well as the opportunity to build relationships with colleagues across our enterprise. These relationships are critically important to the future of college sports and I look forward to giving back to an organization that has helped me so much."
 
"Heather has been an influential mentor and positive role model for young administrators in college athletics over the course of her nearly 10 years in the athletics director's chair, both at Eastern Michigan and now at Pitt," said Vecchione. "Her passion for enhancing the student-athlete experience and allowing her own teammates to learn and grow professionally in the process sets her apart as one of the top women leaders in our industry. As we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Title IX this year, it is only fitting that our incoming 3rd Vice President is a strong female AD whose career path first began as a student-athlete herself."

Lyke's leadership has been crucial for Pitt in a quickly changing collegiate athletics landscape. This has been especially evident in the realm of Name, Image, Likeness (NIL). Upon the new NCAA legislation taking effect, Lyke launched Forged Here, an innovative NIL program designed to equip Pitt's student-athletes with the knowledge and resources necessary to maximize their personal brand, platform and opportunities.
 
Generating resources and support for Pitt Athletics overall has been a major priority for Lyke's administration. Those efforts produced a record $40 million raised during the 2021-22 fiscal year. That total included a historic $20 million gift from 1997 alumnus Chris Bickell, the largest single donation in Pitt Athletics history. Each of these successes come as no surprise to those who have observed Lyke's career. The first woman to hold the full-time director of athletics post at the University of Pittsburgh, her influence has been evident in the recruitment of nationally regarded head coaches, ambitious facility plans and a strengthened focus on the total student-athlete experience.
 
From 2013-17, Lyke served as vice president and director of athletics at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). Prior to EMU, she was a ranking athletics administrator at Ohio State for 15 years. Lyke additionally held posts at the University of Cincinnati (UC) and with the NCAA. Lyke was a standout softball student-athlete at the University of Michigan, where she lettered four years as a first baseman and was an All-Academic Big Ten honoree. She was a two-time team captain and helped Michigan to the 1992 Big Ten championship.
 
Joining the Officers, NACDA Executive Committee members selected to serve beginning in 2022-23 include Jenn Fraser, managing director of Division I at the NCAA; Angel Mason, director of athletics at Berry College; and Nicki Moore, vice president and director of athletics at Colgate University.
 
The administrators listed above join the following individuals on the NACDA Executive Committee – Anthony Azama (Washington St. Louis); Whit Babcock (Virginia Tech); Jim Carr (NAIA); Charlie Cobb (George State); Janet Cone (UNC Asheville); Chris Del Conte (Texas); Dennis Francois (Central Washington); Allen Greene (Auburn); Christina Hundley (Paradise Valley CC); Mike McCaffrey (Saint Francis (Ind.)); Ed McLaughlin (VCU); Quin Monahan (South Carolina Beaufort); Kim Pate (Lenoir-Rhyne); Colin Preston (Cypress College); Chrissi Rawak (Delaware); Kevin Salisbury (CC of Rhode Island); and Mike Snyder (Pacific Lutheran).
 
About NACDA: Now in its 58th year, NACDA is the professional and educational Association for more than 22,000 college athletics administrators at more than 2,200 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. NACDA manages 18 professional associations and four foundations. In addition to virtual programming, NACDA hosts five major professional development events in-person annually. The NACDA & Affiliates Convention is the largest gathering of collegiate athletics administrators in the country. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.