Our passionate leaders drive the association

NIRSA owes its success to the leadership of dedicated volunteers, members who generously donate their time and expertise to directing NIRSA’s operations and services.

These volunteer leaders pool their experience in the collegiate recreation profession to support NIRSA members in their contributions and achievements in the field. Thanks to their efforts and attention, NIRSA helps create and sustain powerful communities of wellbeing in settings worldwide.

Three governing bodies, composed of NIRSA members, comprise the larger part of NIRSA leadership.

The NIRSA Board of Directors

The NIRSA Board is a group of seven members who oversee NIRSA’s strategic planning and coordinate between the many stakeholders involved in NIRSA growth and operations. The Board provides visionary direction for the many teams working on new projects and areas of research, and balances the association’s practical needs with our higher goals.

The NIRSA Member Network

The NIRSA Member Network is composed of two groups: Regional Representatives and the Student Leadership Team. These groups work together to connect NIRSA leadership to our wide body of Members, ensure that NIRSA operations reflect membership priorities, and offer Members opportunities to be a part of NIRSA’s service to the profession.

Regional Representatives are NIRSA members who coordinate activities and communications with other Members in their geographical area and serve as liaisons between Members in that region and other leadership groups. Regional Representatives play a crucial role in cultivating involvement and new Membership.

The Student Leadership Team is a panel of Regional Student Leaders who, like Regional Representatives, coordinate between NIRSA leadership bodies and members in their geographical region, with an emphasis on communicating with and mobilizing student Membership in that area.

The NIRSA Assembly

The NIRSA Assembly is NIRSA’s think tank: a large group of interested Members from across the full variety of demographics that compose our Membership, whose purpose is to surface and explore current trends and issues in the recreational sports profession. These are the thinkers who draw on their observations from experience in the field to cultivate NIRSA’s deepest sense of its mission and duties.

The Assembly develops and highlights contemporary issues for consideration in NIRSA’s ongoing service to the profession. The NIRSA Assembly generates key points of interest for the NIRSA Board to consider as they drive the work of the association.

Other Volunteer Leaders

Composed of NIRSA members, NIRSA Commissions, Committees, and Work Teams are assembled by the leadership bodies to address individual issues and areas of interest as they are determined.

A Committee or Work Team may be formed on a one-time or permanent basis to explore anything from an emergent issue in the recreational sports field to a new long-term goal for services to NIRSA members.

Get Involved

We need your energy and expertise!

We are always pleased to connect with members who would like to contribute to NIRSA leadership. If you’re interested in serving on the Board of Directors, participating in the Assembly, joining the Member Network, or working on a Committee, contact NIRSA Headquarters or check out our Get Involved page.