CLEVELAND -- The National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC) has announced its 2017 award winners: Frank Kara Leadership Award – Dave Roberts, special advisor to the president and senior administration, University of Southern California; Mike Cleary Organizational Leadership Award – Rob Mullens, director of athletics, University of Oregon; Rising Star Award – Kristina Minor, director of compliance, Rutgers University; and the Division II Excellence Award – Katie McGann, associate athletics director – compliance and student services, University of California San Diego.

The award winners will be honored Sunday, June 11 during the NAAC Convention at the Marriott World Center Resort in Orlando, Florida.

"On behalf of the NAAC Board and Awards Committee, I am honored to announce our 2017 NAAC Award recipients," stated Jody Sykes, Membership and Awards Committee chair, and senior associate AD/chief compliance officer at the University of Oregon. "We are humbled to have so many deserving individuals working in and supporting our profession. Congratulations to all of our winners for their commendable achievements and thank you the individuals willing to take the time to nominate them. We look forward to celebrating our honorees at the 2017 NAAC Convention."  

The Frank Kara Award is NAAC’s premier award. It is the highest honor that may be bestowed upon compliance professionals. This award, given annually, is named in honor of former University of Minnesota Director of Compliance Frank Kara who was a leader in the compliance field and best known for hosting the inaugural NAAC Workshop in 2006. Sadly, Frank lost his battle with cancer at the age of 40. 

Dave Roberts is currently the special advisor to the president and senior administration at the University Southern California where he began in the summer of 2010 as vice-president of athletics compliance. Prior to his appointment at USC, Dave was a managing partner at the law firm he co-founded – Roberts, Raspe & Blanton. While at USC, Roberts guided the department through their major violations case and the sanctions that followed, using his legal background to bring the campus together and create a culture of compliance.

On a national level, Roberts has had a hand in promoting and improving the compliance profession through his participation on the NAAC Professional Development Committee. He also serves on the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions, the NCAA Division I Enforcement Working Group and the NCAA Division I Enforcement and Infractions Review Group.

The Mike Cleary Organizational Leadership award is named after former NACDA Executive Director, Mike Cleary, and is given to an organizational leader (i.e., athletics director, general counsel, provost, president, commissioner, NCAA executive) who has demonstrated NCAA compliance leadership and a strong commitment to fostering a culture of compliance to NCAA rules within their organization. 

Rob Mullens took over as director of athletics at the University of Oregon in August 2010 after most recently serving as the executive associate director of athletics at Kentucky.  Since joining Oregon, the Ducks’ have flourished: academically, financially, and in terms of athletic success. Mullens has overseen Oregon’s best finish in the Learfield Directors’ Cup;  ten (10) national championships by track and field and cross country; numerous conference wins and postseason berths; a student-athlete graduation rate of more than 75%; 3 Capital One Academic All-America Awards; and an average of over 100 student-athletes chosen annually as academic all-conference selections. Fiscally, the department has been able to remain self-sufficient even has the brand experiences tremendous growth.

Mullens is also a leader nationally, serving on a number of committees and boards. Most notably, he serves as a member of the Positive Coaching Alliance’s National Advisory Board and the Football Playoff Selection Committee.

The Rising Star Award recognized young compliance professionals who are considered to be emerging leaders within the compliance profession. 

Kristina Minor was named Director of Compliance at Rutgers University in February 2016 after serving as an Assistant Director at the Big Ten Conference for two years and as an Enforcement intern for a year with the NCAA. Kristina joined the NCAA after graduating from the Marquette University Law School and the University of Illinois, where she was a tennis student-athlete.

At Rutgers, Minor serves as the primary liaison to six sports and four athletic department groups providing rules education and interpretations. Minor has differentiated herself quickly in the industry through her knowledge of the rules, her problem-solving and teamwork-focused outlook, and exceptional communication skills with all of her constituents: coaches, administrators, student-athletes and co-workers.

The Division II Excellence Award is a prestigious annual award given to a compliance professional who is a leader in the compliance field at the Division II level.

Katie McGann was named Associate Athletics Director for Compliance and Student Services at UC San Diego in 2010 after joining the department in 2007. She handles all aspects of the university’s compliance and student services programs for 23 athletic teams and over 600 student-athletes while also serving as the sport administrator for four teams: men’s and women’s fencing and men’s and women’s tennis.

Nationally, McGann has been active promoting and supporting compliance efforts for Division II. She was an integral part of creating a DII Committee within NAAC, serving as its chair and a board member as well as planning Division II programming while on the Convention Committee for two years. In addition to her involvement in NAAC, McGann serves on the prestigious NCAA Division II Academic Requirements Committee and is the incoming chair.

About NAAC:  NAAC is in its 19th year and serves as the professional and educational association of compliance administrators. For more information on NAAC, please visit www.naaccompliance.com. NAAC is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 52^nd year. For more information on NACDA, the 17 professional associations and/or three foundations it manages, please visit www.nacda.com.