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 (UW), 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 arrived at Ohio State after serving as director of athletics at Texas A&M University since 2019, overseeing more than 600 student-athletes competing at the Division I level in 20 varsity sports. During his time at Texas A&M, the school set new records in overall grade point average, NCAA Graduate Success Rate (GSR) and NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR). At the same time, Bjork played a leading role in launching the largest fundraising campaign in Texas A&M athletics' history outside of the redevelopment of Kyle Field. It featured the construction of an academic and wellness center, football indoor performance center and indoor track stadium, as well as a redevelopment of the Bright Football Complex.
 
In the spring of 2021, Bjork provided input and guidance to leaders in the Texas legislature in the development of a name, image and likeness (NIL) law and he remained engaged at the state and federal level pushing for changes to NIL legislation. He then oversaw the creation of AMPLIFY and AMPLIFY Local Exchange, which equips student-athletes with education and resources related to finance, personal branding, networking and media training.
 
He came to Aggieland from the University of Mississippi, where he served as the director of athletics for seven years and was the youngest AD among the Power 5 conferences when hired. There, he oversaw a department with a staff of over 250 employees. During his tenure at Ole Miss, revenue generated within athletics more than doubled, from $57 million to $117 million.
 
Bjork arrived in Oxford after a stint as director of athletics at Western Kentucky University (WKU) where he quickly established an atmosphere of success. Prior to becoming an AD, Bjork had more than two decades of experience as an administrator and student-athlete, having worked on the senior staffs at UCLA, where he served under NACDA Past President and Hall of Famer Dan Guerrero, the University of Miami and the University of Missouri, where he served under NACDA Past President and Hall of Famer Mike Alden. Bjork began his administrative career at WKU as an assistant development coordinator in 1996-97.
 
Bjork, together with 1^st Vice President Heather Lyke, University of Pittsburgh, and 2^nd Vice 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).
 
Parker joined Rollins in 2002 and has been leading the athletics department since 2006, currently serving as associate vice president of athletics. She was a member of the NACDA Executive Committee from 2015-19 before being named Secretary in 2020. She previously served as D2 ADA President for the 2016-17 academic year. A three-time NACDA Athletics Director of the Year (ADOY) in 2013, 2017, and 2021, Parker was also recognized as a Nike Administrator of the Year by Women Leaders in Sports (2020).
 
"Serving NACDA and the Division II membership through D2 ADA have been defining moments in my career," Parker said. "It is wonderful to work alongside such passionate leaders and build a network that is truly committed to the development of athletics administrators at all levels. I am honored to join the list of inspiring leaders who have served as NACDA Officers and I look forward to our work together during this pivotal time in college athletics."
 
Hundley joined the PVCC athletics department in 2008 and became athletics director in 2015. She is the Immediate Past President of NATYCAA and has served on the NACDA Executive Committee since 2020. During her time as athletics director, Hundley has held multiple leadership positions both regionally and nationally within the NJCAA. She was recently recognized as an ADOY at the 2024 NACDA & Affiliates Convention in Las Vegas for her efforts.
 
"I am honored to serve as NACDA's next Secretary," said Hundley. "I am excited to represent NATYCAA in this capacity, and to serve NACDA in a new role. I look forward to working with the Officers and the Executive Committee to support the work our organization does for intercollegiate athletics."
 
"Pennie and Christina have been tireless advocates for NACDA and the student-athlete experience as they have served their respective Affiliate Associations over the last several years," said Manak. "As the industry continues to evolve, we are proud to have both of them as core components of our leadership structure to ensure the voices of all student-athletes continue to be heard."
 
Joining the Officers, NACDA Executive Committee members selected to serve beginning in 2024-25 include Jennifer Baker, associate vice provost, director of athletics & recreation at Johns Hopkins University; Aaron Bouyea, director of athletics at Monroe Community College; Julie Cromer, director of athletics at Ohio University; Sherryta Freeman, director of athletics at Lafayette College; Gene Taylor, director of athletics at Kansas State University; Etienne Thomas, director of athletics at Winston-Salem State University; and Natalie Winkelfoos, Associate Vice President for Athletics Advancement and Delta Lodge Director of Athletics & Physical Education at Oberlin College.
 
The administrators listed above join the following individuals on the NACDA Executive Committee – Keri Becker (Grand Valley State); Jenn Fraser (NCAA); Brian Henderson (Patrick & Henry CC); Angel Mason (Berry); Ed McLaughlin (VCU); Nicki Moore (Cornell); Colin Preston (Cypress); Desireé Reed-Francois (Arizona); Matt Roberts (College of Charleston); Reagan Rossi (College of Idaho); Ashley Walyuchow (Houston Victoria) and Drew Watson (Southeastern).
 
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.