Knight Commission On Intercollegiate Athletics
Executive Director 2000–2005Staff Director 1994–1999Associate Director 1990–1993• Advised, supported and strategized with Knight Commission founding co-chairs, William C. Friday of the University of North Carolina, and Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, of Notre Dame, on array of issues related to college sports reform. High-profile, blue-ribbon commission comprised of college and university presidents and leaders from business and politics.• Identified participants, developed agendas and background materials, and briefed commission members for series of 12 meetings with 90 witnesses over the course of 15 months, culminating in release of commission’s seminal report, Keeping Faith with the Student-Athlete: A New Model for Intercollegiate Athletics, in 1991. Report was front-page news across country, from The Washington Post to the Los Angeles Times. • Advocated for adoption of commission’s reform agenda through speeches and appearances. Tracked trends and flagged issues for co-chairs; developed commission’s public response to issues. Convened additional commission meetings with high-profile witnesses, leading to two follow-up commission reports in 1992 and 1993. • Continued to drive momentum for change as staff director from 1994 to 1999, collaborating closely with commission co-chairs after larger commission formally disbanded.• Reconvened commission in 2000 as executive director. Identified new commission members, conducted four high-profile commission meetings with 36 witnesses, directed press and public relations efforts, and was primary author of the commission’s update on the status of intercollegiate athletics, A Call to Action, released in 2001, ten years after Keeping Faith. • Led ongoing advocacy for reform through well-developed press relationships, targeted research, and pressure for change through variety of channels and contacts.