CLEVELAND - The Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2 CCA) is pleased to announce Bob Dranoff, Dave Haglund, Susan Peal, Roy Pickerill and JR Smith as its D2 CCA Meritorious Service award recipients.
The D2 CCA Meritorious Service Award recognizes a commissioner with ten years of service once he/she leaves the position for the time and dedication they have made to Division II and is decided by the full CCA membership upon recommendation by the Awards Committee. In addition, other individuals, including but not limited to conference office staff, institutional staff members, or NCAA staff members are also eligible to be recognized with this award. The intent is to recognize these individuals once they retire or depart Division II; however, if an individual goes above and beyond in service to Division II, in particular, the CCA, they may be recognized even if they are still employed at a Division II conference office or institution.
Bob Dranoff – East Coast Conference (ECC)
Bob Dranoff served as Commissioner of the East Coast Conference (ECC) from June 2008 through June 2024. His career in collegiate athletics began in 1978, where he served as assistant director of athletics at St. John's University (NY) before becoming director of athletics at SUNY Old Westbury, followed by a stint at Dowling College where he was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame. In addition to Dranoff's outstanding support and leadership while leading the ECC, he was actively involved in NCAA committee work, having served on several regional advisory committees, the DII Championship Committee, Planning and Finance, and chaired the DII Membership Committee, as well as serving on the DII Management Council.
Under Dranoff's leadership, the ECC added championship tournaments in men's and women's lacrosse and soccer and added championships in the sports of indoor and outdoor track and field, women's bowling, men's volleyball, and eSports. The ECC has been recognized for its support of TEAM Impact, Make-A-Wish, and Special Olympics and has implemented student-athlete leadership programming as well as member institution coaches and staff programming.
Dranoff is also active in his community by presenting courses on youth violence and bullying issues and serves on several advisory boards including the High School for Sport Management, Team IMPACT, Youth Enrichment Services and St. John's University Sports Management. He serves as an adjunct professor in Sport Management at St. John's University and St. Joseph's College.
Dave Haglund – Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC)
Dave Haglund retired as commissioner of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) in June 2024. His career spanned 47 years in intercollegiate athletics. Haglund succeeded Richard Hannan as commissioner after spending 4.5 years as the commissioner of the Cascade Collegiate Conference.
During his time in the GNAC, the conference expanded its championship offerings by adding postseason tournaments in women's soccer, softball, baseball and women's rowing; enhanced its free-to-view live-streaming platform; increased its membership with an additional full-time member and six affiliate members; and grew its reserve fund by 300 percent. Haglund is a former chair of the NCAA Nominating Committee and has routinely served as a site representative for NCAA postseason championships in men's basketball, women's soccer and football.
Susan Peal – NCAA
Susan Peal, NCAA Director of Governance, has worked at the national office for 25 years. She has also worked in athletics compliance at Charleston Southern University and The Ohio State University and coached women's basketball at Winthrop University and Charleston Southern. Peal started her national office career serving as a staff liaison for multiple Division I, II and III governance committees while assisting member institutions and conferences with NCAA legislation, education outreach and athletic certification. She started managing the National Letter of Intent (NLI) program for the Collegiate Commissioners Association when the programmed transitioned to the NCAA in 2007. Peal established the NCAA transfer portal in 2018 as a platform to manage the student-athlete transfer process.
In her Division II role, Peal regularly meets with Division II campus administrators, coaches and commissioners to offer education, support and engagement.
Peal was the recipient of the 2018 Frank Kara Leadership Award presented by the National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC). This is NAAC's premier award, and the highest honor bestowed upon compliance professionals.
Peal plans to retire from the NCAA office in spring 2025.
Roy Pickerill – Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC)
Roy Pickerill is in his eighth year at KWC as Sports Information Director Emeritus and Special Assistant for College Relations in 2024-25. He retired as the Panther's Sports Information Director after 29 ½ years, as the longest tenured SID in KWC history on Dec. 22, 2016. He has been with the College for 54 consecutive years including four as a student and 12 seasons as an Assistant SID before his promotion in July 1988. He also served as Director of Public Relations for two years from 2004 to 2006. Pickerill has been enshrined into five Hall of Fames in his long career.
Pickerill has been an avid supporter of NCAA Division II since the association's inception having dedicated his life to supporting his institution, two separate athletic conferences (GLVC, G-MAC), and the Division. He is one of the division's biggest cheerleaders and has developed a network of associates across DII to which he has continually provided support and encouragement.
JR Smith – Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC)
Joel R. Smith, the former Commissioner of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), was hired as the athletic director at Chadron State College in May 2013. Smith, who served as commissioner of the RMAC for 12 years, retired in January 2024 from Chadron State.
While at Chadron State, Smith boosted athletic scholarships, using corporate sponsorships and private contributions, and added several new positions to the athletics department staff, including the school's first full-time strength and conditioning coach. In addition, he oversaw the construction of two brand new state-of-the-art athletic facilities, the Chicoine Center and Don Beebe Stadium, home to the Eagles' football, basketball, and volleyball programs. In 2016, he launched an annual scholarship banquet, When Eagles Dare, which incorporated live and silent auctions, as well as raffles, contests, and prizes, in a fun social atmosphere. He served as president of the D2 ADA and was chair of the South Central Men's Basketball Committee. Prior to his time in these two positions, he also served as the director of athletics at Fort Lewis College and the assistant athletic director at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
As commissioner, he was responsible for management and operations of the RMAC which is comprised of 14 institutions and 21 championships. He also implemented the RMAC Hall of Fame, which inducted its first members in 2002. Smith was also active within in the NCAA, serving on the regional advisory committees for football, baseball and men's basketball. He was the chair of the NCAA West Regional Baseball Committee as well as a member of the Division II Championships Committee and the D-II Television Task Force.
About D2 CCA: Initiated in 1992 to promote its member conferences and institutions, D2 CCA has made its mark in providing a united front for NCAA Division II athletics. Created after the break-up of the College Division Commissioners Association, the D2 CCA continues to create lines of communication and opportunities for its member conferences. The D2 CCA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 60th year. For more information on NACDA and the 18 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.
