CLEVELAND – The NACDA Board of Directors has officially appointed Pennie Parker, Associate Vice President of Athletics at Rollins College, to serve as the Association's President for the 2026-27 academic year. Parker has served as a NACDA Officer since 2020 and was previously a NACDA Executive Committee member from 2015-19.
 
Parker replaces Past President Sean T. Frazier, Vice President/Director of Athletics and Recreation at Northern Illinois University (NIU), whose tenure concluded after the 2026 NACDA & Affiliates Convention in Las Vegas earlier this summer.
 
"I am truly humbled and honored to have the confidence of NACDA in me as a leader," said Parker. "Professionally, this organization has provided me with a strong foundation of leadership skills, and personally, it has given me the opportunity to build lifelong friendships with colleagues across the country. I'm incredibly excited to represent our membership as we navigate the evolving landscape of college athletics. While there is much work ahead, I firmly believe that our collective voices will play a critical role in shaping the future—especially in how it enhances and protects the student-athlete experience. I look forward to the journey ahead and the impact we will make together."
 
"Pennie is a thoughtful leader, a dedicated advocate for student-athletes, and someone who consistently brings integrity, vision, and collaboration to every role she serves," said NACDA Chief Executive Officer Pat Manak. "We are fortunate to have her leadership guiding NACDA during such a transformative time in college athletics. On behalf of the entire NACDA staff, I congratulate Pennie on this well-deserved honor and look forward to working alongside her as we continue advancing our mission in service to athletics administrators across the industry."
 
Since joining Rollins in 2002, named director of athletics in 2006, and elevated to associate vice president of athletics in 2022, Pennie Parker has led the Tars in an era of unprecedented success.  She is charged with maintaining the department's stellar reputation both athletically and academically, while adhering to the Rollins mission of producing global citizens and responsible leaders.
 
In 2015, Parker was selected to serve on the NCAA Division II Management Council and was named chair of the NCAA Division II Management Council in 2018. Parker has also served on the Women Leaders in College Sports Board of Directors. Parker served as the secretary for Women Leaders in College Sports from 2016-2017 and as the treasurer from 2017-2018. Parker recently served on the NCAA Legislation Committee and is currently serving on the NCAA Strategic Planning and Finance Committee.
 
Parker was appointed to the Division II Athletics Directors Association (ADA) Board of Directors in 2011 and she served as the president of the association in 2016-17.  During her tenure on the board, she was the liaison to the DII NCAA mentoring program for many years.  Her passion for mentoring has continued throughout her career and she currently serves as the Division II liaison for the distinguished NCAA Pathway Program.
 
Parker's efforts were recognized by her peers in 2013, 2017 and 2021 as she was named Under Armour Division II Athletics Director of the Year. In 2020, she was selected as the Nike Administrator of the Year by Women Leaders in College Sport.
 
Under Parker's leadership, Rollins has won three NCAA Division II National Championships, 22 Sunshine State Conference titles, 13 SSC Tournaments and five SSC Mayor's Cup All-Sport trophies. She has partnered with Advancement to create 7 endowed scholarships and secured funding to endow two head coaching positions.
 
Parker has continued to grow the Athletics Department's academic profile during her tenure. Rollins was honored with the Division II President's Awards for Academic Excellence in 2023 for the fifteenth straight season. The Tars Academic Success Rate has led the Sunshine State Conference since the NCAA began calculating ASR in 2006, and in 2023, Rollins ranked seventh among all D-II schools is ASR. Since the beginning of her career as athletic director at Rollins, student-athletes have posted a combined GPA above 3.0, two student-athletes have won the prestigious Elite 90 award, six student-athletes have been selected for NCAA postgraduate scholarships, two student-athletes have been selected as a Fulbright scholar, and 15 student-athletes have been named valedictorian.
 
Parker, together with 2^nd Vice President Reagan Rossi, College of Idaho, and Secretary Christina Hundley, Paradise Valley CC, welcome two new faces as NACDA Officers for 2026-27 in 1^st Vice President Gene Taylor, Kansas State, and 3^rd Vice President Ed McLaughlin, VCU.
 
A former member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee and current chair of the FBS Athletics Directors Association, Taylor was named the director of athletics at K-State in April 2017. During his tenure K-State has seen the football program qualify for six bowls and win the 2022 Big 12 Championship, the men's basketball team win a Big 12 Championship, earn an Elite 8 appearance and advance to two NCAA tournaments, the baseball team win the Fayetteville Regional and the women's track and field team win back-to-back Big 12 Outdoor championships. Additionally, Taylor and his staff have fundraised and implemented a department-wide facility master plan that benefits all Wildcat teams including the newly completed Indoor Track and Field Complex, the Morgan Family Arena for volleyball, Morris Family Olympic Training Center and the Shamrock Practice Facility for football.
 
McLaughlin was named the sixth athletics director in VCU history on July 24, 2012. Under McLaughlin, VCU athletics has centered its approach on the student-athlete experience and eight core values: drive to excel, commitment to community, integrity, loyalty and positivity, equity and diversity, collaboration, innovation and student-athlete focus. A decade into his tenure, VCU Athletics has developed student-athletes, achieved unprecedented academic success and won championships at a historic rate. Along the way, VCU athletics has moved closer to that national championship becoming a reality. During McLaughlin's first nine years, VCU has experienced competitive success unparalleled in the history of the institution. Over that span, the Rams have captured 58 Atlantic 10 Conference team championships, over 100 A-10 individual championships and have more than 60 teams and individuals into NCAA Tournament competition.
 
"Gene and Ed are two of the most respected and accomplished leaders in collegiate athletics, and we are thrilled to welcome them into NACDA's officer leadership team for the 2026-27 membership year," said Manak. "Both Gene and Ed have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to advancing our profession while serving their institutions, student-athletes and colleagues with distinction. Their experience, leadership and perspective will be invaluable as NACDA continues to support athletics administrators through an evolving landscape"
 
Joining the Officers, NACDA Executive Committee members selected to serve beginning in 2026-27 include: Chad Briscoe, Director of Athletics at Grace College; Donnie Brooks, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs/Director of Athletics at Macalester College; Dan Clauss, Dean of Kinesiology and Athletics at Saddleback College; Shawn Heilbron, Director of Athletics at Stony Brook University; Dr. Michael McFarland, Director of Athletics / Professor / Chair, Department of Athletics Faculty at Bloomsburg University and Jim Senter, Vice President/Director of Athletics at UTEP.
 
The administrators listed above join the following individuals on the NACDA Executive Committee – Jennifer Baker (Johns Hopkins); Kanoe Bandy (Taft College); Keri Becker (Grand Valley State); Aaron Bouyea (Ithaca); Adrian Dowell (University of Nebraska Omaha); Jenn Fraser (NCAA); Sherryta Freeman (Lafayette); Nina King, (Duke University); Desireé Reed-Francois (Arizona); Matt Roberts (College of Charleston); Kristen Schuth (Genesee Community College); Drew Watson (Southeastern); and Natalie Winkelfoos (Oberlin).
 
About NACDA: Now in its 62nd year, NACDA is the professional and educational Association for more than 24,000 college athletics administrators at more than 2,300 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. NACDA manages 19 professional associations and four foundations. In addition to virtual programming, NACDA hosts and/or has a presence at seven 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.