By Sarah Leskovec
This past March, NIRSA, the NIRSA Foundation, and the NIRSA Championship Series finalized committee appointments for the 2015-2016 year. NIRSA committees perform an important role by focusing their work on specific topics relevant to both the collegiate recreation profession and the Association.
NIRSA’s abilities and achievements are a direct result of the incredible, dedicated volunteers who tirelessly strive to help the Association realize its vision of inspiring healthy people and communities worldwide. These individuals—who give so much time and talent to NIRSA and collegiate recreation—are the reason the field has come so far. They are the guarantee of great things to come.
The 2015-2016 committees had the opportunity to meet in person on Thursday, April 2 at the 2015 NIRSA Annual Conference in Grapevine, Texas. The meetings provided committee members with a chance to better acquaint themselves and start developing their action items for the year. All committees received charges and are off to a great start.
Congratulations to the newly-appointed 2015-2016 committee and work team chairs!
Annual Conference Program Committees
| Career Opportunities Committee | Chair : Jordan Gardner, Western Kentucky University |
| Conference Expo Committee | Chair : Lynne Thompson, University of Illinois at Chicago |
| Conference Program Committee | Chair : Cara McFadden, Ph.D., Elon University |
| Conference Program Committee | Chair Elect : Demond Pryor, University of Toledo |
| Student Professional Development Committee | Chair : Rob Jech, The Ohio State University |
Awards & Scholarship Committees
| Creative Excellence Awards Committee | Chair : Julie Terstriep, Western Illinois University |
| Honor Award Committee | Chair : Tom Kirch, RCRSP, Oregon State University (retired) |
| NIRSA Annual Service Award Committee | Chair : Mark Williams, University of Notre Dame |
| Outstanding Sports Facilities Awards Committee | Chair : Cindy Cowden, SUNY at Binghamton University |
| William N. Wasson Student Leadership & Academic Awards Committee | Chair : Justin Anderson, RCRSP, University of Virginia |
NIRSA Governance Committees
| Audit & Finance Committee | Chair : Bill Crockett, RCRSP, University of Maryland, Baltimore |
| Bylaws Committee | Chair : Greg Jordan, CRSS, Oakland University |
| Nominations & Appointments Committee | Chair : Stacey Hall, RCRSP, CRSS, University of New Hampshire |
| Policy & Legislation Committee | Chair : Austin Anderson, Ph.D., University of Southern Indiana |
| Research and Assessment Committee | Chair : Aaron Kroth, The University of Texas at Austin |
Institutes Committees
| NIRSA Aquatic Institute Committee | Chair : Dana Dickerson, UCLA |
| NIRSA Fitness & Wellness Institute Committee | Chair : Tamsen Burke, The Claremont Colleges-Scripps College |
| NIRSA Intramural Sports Institute Committee | Chair : Christopher Schmoldt, Florida State University |
| NIRSA Recreation Facilities Institute Committee | Chair : Jeff Haug, University of Georgia |
| NIRSA Collegiate Sport Club Institute Committee | Chair : Ryan Bradshaw, George Mason University |
Sports Officials’ Development Program Committees (SODP)
| SODP Basketball Committee | Chair : Michael Prociuk, Florida International University |
| SODP Flag Football Committee | Chair : Nicholas Brigati, RCRSP, Ohio University |
| SODP Soccer Committee | Chair : Korey Lane, Northeastern University |
NIRSA Foundation Committees
| NIRSA Foundation Community Service Project Committee | Chair : Jennifer Hazelrigs, Auburn University |
| NIRSA Foundation Golf Tournament Committee | Chair : Mike Munson, University of Southern California |
| NIRSA Foundation Mark Fletcher Fun Run/Walk Committee | Chair : Bob Golson, CRSS, James Madison University |
| NIRSA Foundation Scholarships & Quilt Raffle Committee | Chair : Therese Kennedy, CRSS, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater |
| NIRSA Foundation Stipends Committee | Chair : Steve Rey, RCRSP, CRSS, Western Kentucky University |
NIRSA Championship Series Committees & Work Teams
The service year for NIRSA Championship Series committees runs from June 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016. The following appointments have been made for the 2015-2016 year.
| NIRSA Championship Series Committee | Chair : Kurt Klier, RCRSP, CRSS, University of Maryland, College Park |
| Assessment Work Team | Chair : April Flint, Ph.D., RCRSP, Emory University |
| Basketball Work Team | Chair : Aaron Hobson, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| Brand Management Work Team | Chair : Scott Flickinger, Boston University |
| Club Basketball Work Team | Chair : Ashley Lax, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| Flag Football Work Team | Chair : Brian Mills, University of Houston |
| Soccer Work Team | Chair : Laura Thomas, Texas Tech University |
| Standards of Competition Work Team | Chair : Thomas St. John, RCRSP, Springfield College |
| Student/Professional Development Work Team | Chair : Mary Yemma, North Carolina State University |
| Tennis Work Team | Chair : Stephanie McAlpine, The University of Texas at Arlington |
NIRSA Communities of Practice Conveners
NIRSA Communities of Practice are online professional networks designed for discussion surrounding a given topic. They are intended to accumulate knowledge and resources that become intellectual assets for NIRSA members while simultaneously increasing the connection points between members and the volunteer leadership of the Association.
The NIRSA Board of Directors endorsed transitioning the Communities of Practice volunteer leadership structure from a work team model to a single convener format for the 2015-2016 leadership year. The conveners will use their respective Communities of Practice to accomplish their charges.
| Aquatics | Convener: Bethnay Bower, Georgetown University |
| Facilities | Convener: Stephanne Musser, The Ohio State University |
| Fitness | Convener: Erin Bransford, Portland State University |
| Intramural | Convener: Mike Dominguez, Sonoma State University |
| Marketing | Convener: Melissa Fadler, RCRSP, Sam Houston State University |
| Outdoor Recreation | Convener: Bridget Nemeth, RCRSP, Old Dominion University |
| Risk Management | Convener: Chad Day, Auburn University |
| Sport Clubs | Convener: Dan Wahl, University of Denver |
To learn more about NIRSA volunteer groups, and to see a full list of committee and work team rosters and chargers, please visit the NIRSA website. You can find details on other NIRSA volunteer leaders for the 2015-2016 leadership year in this news article.
For more information about the appointments, please contact NIRSA Leadership Programs Coordinator Sarah Leskovec.
