Ross Bjork officially takes over as NACDA President
7/31/2024 9:59:00 AM | General
CLEVELAND – The NACDA Board of Directors has officially appointed Ross Bjork, Senior Vice President and Wolfe Foundation-Eugene Smith Endowed Athletics Director at The Ohio State University, to serve as the Association’s President for the 2024-25 academic year. Bjork has served as a NACDA Officer since 2021 and was previously a NACDA Executive Committee member from 2015-19. He also served as NAADD President in 2006-07.
Bjork replaces Past President Patrick Chun, Director of Athletics at the University of Washington, whose tenure concluded after the 2024 NACDA & Affiliates Convention in Las Vegas earlier this summer.
“Simply put, I am a product of NACDA – that’s why I’m here,” said Bjork. “As we go into 2024-25, we’re going to remember that we are the leading educational platform in college athletics, and we’re going to continue to provide best practices and lessons learned. In all of this uncertainty and chaos that may be going on inside our walls, how do we capitalize on the momentum that we have outside of our walls? College athletics has never been more popular – that’s our job. We can always make sure that we remember why we are here, and that is for the student-athletes.”
“As NACDA has continued to grow and develop over the last several decades, so has Ross as a trusted voice and thought leader in our industry,” said NACDA Chief Executive Officer Pat Manak. “Ross has grown in his career beginning with NAADD, to leading the Senior Administrators Mentoring Institute, to becoming a NACDA Officer and serving as a mentor to many along his journey. NACDA & Affiliates members will continue to learn from him this year as he embarks on his new roles both at Ohio State and within the Association.”
Bjork has more than 30 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics as a student-athlete and an administrator. He officially began his tenure leading the Ohio State athletics department on July 1, after serving as a senior advisor for intercollegiate athletics since March 1, succeeding NACDA Past President Gene Smith upon his retirement.
Bjork, together with 1st Vice President Heather Lyke, University of Pittsburgh, and 2ndVice President Sean T. Frazier, Northern Illinois University, welcome two familiar faces as NACDA Officers for 2024-25 in 3rd Vice President Pennie Parker, Rollins College, and Secretary Christina Hundley, Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC).
About NACDA
Now in its 60th year, NACDA is the professional and educational Association for more than 23,000 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.
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