CLEVELAND – The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced a series of new initiatives for 2024 that are designed to enhance the overall membership experience with an increased focus on developing skills for young professionals and aspiring athletics directors in the industry.
 
"NACDA's mission is to provide educational opportunities and serve as a vehicle for networking, the exchange of information, and advocacy on behalf of the profession," said NACDA Chief Executive Officer Pat Manak. "By expanding our offerings and focusing our efforts on developing specific subsets of the membership, we can continue to cultivate tomorrow's leaders led by today's decision makers in athletics administration."
 
The list below highlights the new and enhanced initiatives NACDA is integrating into its programming this year:

• Sport Administrator Leadership Institute
  • This exciting new initiative is designed to foster professional development and collaboration for administrators who have oversight of one or more sport programs.
  • The Institute will feature educational sessions and workshops hosted by a variety of senior-level administrators who are experienced sport administrators at all levels of competition.
  • Scheduled to take place on-site at the 2024 NACDA & Affiliates Convention in Las Vegas, this program will be available to attendees for an additional registration fee. More information regarding speakers, session topics and descriptions will be made available at the time Convention registration goes live in early February.
     
• NIL Educational Programming and Seminar
  • Following a successful in-person NIL Educational Seminar at the 2023 Convention in Orlando, NACDA has expanded its NIL-themed content to extend to members throughout the year.
  • The programming is being planned and facilitated by NACDA with assistance from Kristi Dosh, founder of Business of College Sports, culminating with the second NIL Educational Seminar to be held on-site at the 2024 Convention in Las Vegas. The Seminar will be available to Convention attendees for an additional registration fee.
  • Comprised of a variety of content including a series of on-demand webinars, written articles and in-person sessions, the programming features topics geared toward NIL at both the macro and micro levels, for both Division I and small schools, with guidance provided directly from professional practitioners and campus administrators.
  • The first two NIL webinars are available for on-demand viewing below:
    • Navigating Group Licensing at Every Level
    • Examining NIL for International Students
       
• Senior Administrators Mentoring Institute – Enhanced Program
  • For the last 16 years, the Senior Administrators Mentoring Institute has been a staple to close out the NACDA & Affiliates Convention and has assisted many senior-level athletics administrators in their career path to the AD chair.
  • To continue to enhance the pipeline of administrators who are ready to take the next step in becoming an athletics director, NACDA is expanding the Mentoring Institute to provide year-round programming for its participants.
  • In addition to the traditional two-day in-person programming at the 2024 Convention, Mentoring Institute participants will have another in-person meeting in the fall of 2024 for an additional educational experience on a university campus or in a city to be announced later.
  • Attendees will also meet virtually throughout the year to continue to network, share best practices, and interact with current AD mentors.
  • This comprehensive program will be available for interested and qualified individuals as an additional registration fee. Administrators must apply and be selected to participate in the enhanced Mentoring Institute. Selection will be through the NACDA U professional development grant application which will open in early January. Individuals will be notified of their selection to participate prior to Convention registration going live in February.
     
• Sport Management Collaboration
  • NACDA is making it a strategic priority to educate college students in sport management programs across the country on the possibilities and positive impact of a career in college athletics.
  • The Association's leadership recognizes the importance of growing the pipeline of young athletics administrators and rising stars in the industry, even before they graduate, and the Association is committed to putting the necessary time and resources toward these efforts.
  • NACDA staff members are actively working alongside professors, institutional academic professionals, and other trusted leaders in higher education to discuss, collaborate and build on these goals of increasing awareness and expanding opportunities for young people in college athletics.
  • For more information about NACDA and its Affiliate Associations that can be shared with sport management students, graduate assistants and student-athletes, click here.
     
• NCAA Women's Final Four
  • NACDA will have a presence at the NCAA Division I Women's Final Four as another professional development and networking opportunity for members in attendance.
  • In 2024, the event is scheduled to be held April 5-7 in Cleveland, Ohio, where the NACDA National Office is located.
     
• LEAD1 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas
  • LEAD1 will host the Association's annual spring meeting in conjunction with the 2024 NACDA & Affiliates Convention in Las Vegas. This will allow NACDA member ADs who are also involved in LEAD1 to attend and participate in educational and networking events from both Associations.
  • LEAD1 programming will kick off on Tuesday, June 11 with an evening reception, followed by a half-day of sessions and meetings on Wednesday, June 12.

New Corporate Convention Opportunities
For more information on these sponsorships and other opportunities surrounding the 2024 Convention, click here or contact Chris Green (cgreen@nacda.com) to explore a package tailored to fit your company's needs.

• Product Theatre
  • This brand-new offering for 2024 allows companies the opportunity to own a 30-minute presentation time slot during the main Convention dates (Monday, June 10, and Tuesday, June 11) to showcase a brand, demo a product, etc.
  • The Product Theatre will be located adjacent to the Exhibit Hall, near the newly created VIP section in the front of the Hall. Available presentation time slots are outside of the primary Exhibit Hall hours.
  • NACDA will cover the cost of room set-up (i.e., tables, chairs and standard audiovisual).
  • This asset does not include any Convention registrations (unless the company is a confirmed Exhibitor and/or Sponsor with an existing agreement.) Registrations must be purchased for all participants in the Product Theatre, including presenters and speakers.
     
• Division I Administrators Convention Programming
  • Corporate entities have the opportunity to sponsor presenting rights to one 30-minute panel discussion aimed at Division I athletics administrators during the 2024 Convention.
  • The organization will be recognized as a Convention Sponsor and will work with NACDA on an agreed upon topic and direction for the session, then secure panelists appropriate for the content.
  • This asset includes four (4) Convention registrations.

About NACDA: Now in its 59th 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 six 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.