CLEVELAND – The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) has released several staff updates in advance of the 2024-25 academic year.
 
NACDA Chief Executive Officer Pat Manak announced the hiring of industry veterans Erik Christianson and Meredith Scerba, who will join the NACDA Family as Executive Vice President and Senior Vice President, respectively. Two former NACDA interns earned new titles, as Katie Hein has been promoted to Senior Vice President after serving the Association since 2007, and Rachel Johnson has been hired as Internal Operations Coordinator. Finally, Noreen Byrne, who has overseen the NACDA & Affiliates finances for the last 12 years, announced her retirement, effective December 31, 2024.
 
Christianson and Scerba join the National Office staff with a wealth of knowledge and experience in sponsorship and external relations across collegiate athletics, professional sports and higher education.
 
"We are thrilled to welcome Erik and Meredith to the NACDA Family," said Manak. "Our industry is all about relationships, and it is the people that make college athletics such an exciting enterprise that we are fortunate to be a part of. Erik and Meredith's extensive experience, network and like-minded vision for NACDA's brand from a corporate and external perspective will continue to help us grow as an Association."
 
Erik Christianson
A nationally recognized leader in strategic communications and advocacy leadership, Christianson has served as executive director of College Sports Communicators (CSC – formerly CoSIDA) since June 2022. During his tenure, he oversaw a complete revamping of the Association's brand, including a name change, new logo and implementation of an updated all-in membership structure. The goal of the rebranding initiative was to develop a new and forward-looking direction, name and visual identity for the organization that accurately reflects the evolution of sports information directors into the growing profession of content creators, brand storytellers and contemporary communications leaders.
 
"I am thrilled to join Pat and the NACDA Family at this pivotal time for intercollegiate athletics," Christianson said. "I look forward to continuing to work with and advocate for CSC and all of NACDA's Affiliates and members, sponsors and partners as together we support all functions of college sports and provide solutions for the future."
 
Christianson worked alongside Manak for the last several years as CSC grew into an international organization with 4,400-plus members and continued to strengthen its partnership with NACDA, enhancing the Association's Annual Convention (now known as CSC Unite) which is held concurrently with the NACDA & Affiliates Convention.
 
He spearheaded the corporate sponsorship efforts for CSC, leading to the expansion of several current partnerships, the addition of more than a dozen new sponsors and significant increases in sponsorship revenue. This effort attracted a number of new, innovative partnerships for CSC, including Athlyte, a technology company designed to support, modernize and monetize the functions of athletics communications, and Intent, a talent development company positioned to connect CSC Academic All-American student-athletes and others with top employers nationally.
 
Prior to CSC, Christianson served in senior leadership positions at the NCAA National Office in Indianapolis since 2004, including managing director of communications for 10 years. His time at the NCAA included regular connection with NACDA. Before the NCAA, Christianson worked in communications, branding and advocacy for the University of Wisconsin System, one of the nation's largest public university systems, as well as the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the state's flagship campus. His experience also includes serving in state government and working as a print journalist.
 
Christianson completed his bachelor's degree at Northwestern College, now known as the University of Northwestern-St. Paul, where he studied communications and was a baseball student-athlete. He earned his master's degree in public affairs reporting at the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS).
 
At NACDA, Christianson will primarily be responsible for cultivating relationships with current and prospective NACDA sponsors and corporate partners and developing and executing the Association's strategic revenue generation initiatives.
 
Meredith Scerba
Scerba comes to NACDA after serving as the senior associate athletics director for external relations at the University of South Florida (USF) since January 2019. In this role, she oversaw the overall business functions of the USF athletics external department, including communications, marketing/game presentation, digital & creative services, sales & ticket operations, corporate partnership/multimedia rights and television/radio/broadcasting and licensing. She was responsible for the management and oversight of the $2.5 million ESPN+ broadcast production rights and operational execution.
 
"Joining the NACDA Family provides two unique opportunities – the ability to continue to serve and support the industry and the incredible people who drive it forward each day, as well as be a part of Mr. Cleary's legacy, a man who inspired and mentored me over 18 years ago during my Cleveland tenure. I am excited to be a part of continuing to fulfill his vision!" Scerba said.
 
"My time at USF has provided me with incredible growth both personally and professionally. Building an innovative external unit that continues to set the standard for excellence in all that they do has filled me with such pride. I am thankful for Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly for giving me the chance to learn and grow in the collegiate realm which has set me up for this next step in my journey."
 
During her time with the Bulls, Scerba led the athletics ticketing team to two of its three highest revenues and attendances which exceeded over $6.2 million in ticket sales. She specialized in creative ways to maximize partner exposure on social media content, effective in-game activations and entitlements of impactful events. She also launched community connectivity to build brand and fandom through the creative game day themes and Bulls Give Back community program.
 
Prior to USF, Scerba was the director of community relations for the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2017-19, where she managed the planning, budgeting, marketing, communications and operations of all community and player outreach programs and events. From 2015-17, she was the executive director for the 2017 World Rowing Championship based in Sarasota, Fla.
 
Scerba spent more than a decade in the Cleveland area building her career in sports, starting as the group events coordinator for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers from 2002-05 before serving in several senior leadership positions for the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission until 2015.  
 
Scerba graduated from the University of Findlay (Ohio) where she was a four-year swimming student-athlete and an Academic All-American.
 
At NACDA, Scerba will primarily be responsible for actively promoting and selling space in the Exhibit Hall as part of the Annual NACDA & Affiliates Convention, the largest tradeshow in intercollegiate athletics, and stewarding new and returning NACDA sponsors and corporate partners. She will also work alongside Christianson on the strategic planning, budgeting, and execution of all NACDA revenue streams.
 
Christianson and Scerba will officially begin their duties with NACDA on September 3.
 
Katie Hein
Hein served as a NACDA intern in 2007-08 and following that term, has been a full-time member of the staff ever since. Since her last promotion to vice president in 2023, Hein has been the primary contact for NACDA events, including managing the hotel reservation process and overseeing logistics for the NACDA & Affiliates Convention, organizing and facilitating the Mid-Winter Meetings, and planning the newly redesigned two-part Senior Administrators Mentoring Institute.
 
"Over the span of nearly two decades, Katie has done a tremendous job in advancing many of NACDA's Affiliate Associations and putting them in positions to succeed within the industry," Manak said. "Her new responsibilities in managing events and NACDA-specific programming have allowed her to continue to shine and provide the membership with new unique and meaningful experiences and professional development opportunities."
 
In recent years, Hein has overseen the creation of successful virtual programs like NACDA's Coffee with an AD series, in addition to facilitating NACDA Honors and Awards programs such as the NACDA Hall of Fame and Athletics Director of the Year.
 
Prior to her events-centric role, Hein worked as an Association Manager for several Affiliate Associations during her time at the National Office, including CEFMA since its inception in 2008 through 2022. In 2024, the group's leadership announced the creation of the Katie Hein Leadership Stipend Program in appreciation for her contributions and dedication to Association, designed to provide opportunities for CEFMA members to attend the Annual Convention.
 
Rachel Johnson
Johnson completed her NACDA Intern year in June after working at the National Office since September 2023. During her internship, Johnson worked closely with CABMA, D2 ADA, D2 CCA, ICLA, MOAA, N4A, NAADD, NAIA-ADA and NATYCAA.
 
"Rachel's passion and dedication to our mission was evident during her internship and we are privileged to have the opportunity to retain her as part of our team moving forward," Manak said. "I have no doubt there will be a seamless transition for her and she will make an immediate positive impact both internally and externally as she grows in her career in college athletics."
 
"I am thrilled to continue my time at NACDA and contribute to the exceptional experience the organization provides for its members in the industry," said Johnson. "Thank you, Pat, and the entire NACDA Family for the opportunity and your continued support."
 
In her new role, Johnson will take over the management and execution of several internal programs and processes such as Coffee with an AD and NACDA & Affiliates awards planning and ordering, in addition to assisting with the Sport Administrator Leadership Institute (SALI) and NIL Educational Seminar. She will also support membership growth initiatives throughout the year and collaborate to develop educational programming for the Convention.
 
A two-time graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), Johnson was a five-year member of the women's swimming and diving team, where she was a nine-time All-American and the NCAA Elite 90 Award Winner in 2023. She was an eight-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Champion and a CSC Academic All-America First Team selection.
 
Johnson will officially begin full-time at NACDA on August 26.
 
Noreen Byrne
Following more than 12 years on Cleary Way, Byrne announced her plans to retire at the end of the 2024 calendar year.
 
Byrne was most recently promoted to vice president in January. She has guided the NACDA business office since the fall of 2012, overseeing the day-to-day accounting and billing for NACDA and its 18 Affiliate Associations. Her responsibilities also included internal and external financial reporting, budgeting and strategic planning, investments and treasury functions, risk management, compensation and benefits management. Her familiar face has been a mainstay for members at the Convention registration desk during her tenure.
 
"We are grateful to Noreen for her many years of service to NACDA," said Manak. "She has expertly navigated the financials for more than 25 entities within our business and has been a valuable teammate along the way. We always talk about putting family first, and we are all very happy for Noreen that this next step will allow her to do just that."
 
A Cleveland native, Byrne is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a member of the Ohio Society of CPAs. She is looking forward to spending more time with her daughters and six grandchildren in retirement.
 
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.