This spring, NIRSA, the NIRSA Foundation, and the NIRSA Championship Series finalized committee appointments for the 2016–2017 year. NIRSA committees perform an important role by focusing their work on specific topics relevant to both the collegiate recreation profession and the Association.

Hundreds of NIRSA members applied to serve on committees and work teams this year, demonstrating a tremendous amount of support! It comes as no surprise—given our profession’s focus on students—that the highest level of interest was in committees related to student development, like the Career Opportunities Center Committee, the Student Professional Development Committee, and the William Wasson Student Awards Committee.

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.

Congratulations to the newly-appointed 2016-2017 committee and work team chairs!

The leadership year for the NIRSA and NIRSA Foundation committees runs from May 1 to April 30. Please join us in welcoming these NIRSA leaders to their new roles!

Annual Conference Program Committees

Career Opportunities Committee Chair: Jon Randle, University of Kansas
Conference Expo Committee Co-Chairs: Matt Horst, Georgia Southern University & Ashley Ross, Florida Polytechnic University
Conference Program Committee 2017 Chair: Demond Pryor, University of Toledo
Annual Conference Host Committee 2017 Chair: Jocelyn Hill, American University
Student Professional Development Committee Chair: Kosti Efstathiou, University of the Pacific
Community Service Project Committee Chair: Kristin DeAngelo, University of Arkansas

Awards & Scholarship Committees

Creative Excellence Awards Committee Chair: David Frock, Clemson University
Honor Award Committee Chair: Maureen McGonagle, DePaul University
Chair Elect: Mick Deluca, UCLA
NIRSA Annual Service Award Committee Chair: Laura Monroe, The University of Texas at San Antonio
Outstanding Sports Facilities Awards Committee Chair: Stephanne Musser, The Ohio State University
William N. Wasson Student Leadership & Academic Awards Committee Chair: Scott Vandermoon, CENTERS, LLC at DePaul University

NIRSA Governance Committees

Audit & Finance Committee Chair: Ken Morton, Stephen F. Austin State University
Bylaws Committee Chair: Mark Ritter, University of South Carolina-College Station
Nominations & Appointments Committee Chair: Bill Crockett, RCRSP, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Policy & Legislation Committee Chair: Yvette Kell, CENTERS, LLC at University of Missouri-St Louis
Research and Assessment Committee Chair: Erin Patchett, Colorado State University-Fort Collins

Institutes Committees

NIRSA Recreation Facilities Institute Committee Chair: Greg Haverlock, University of South Florida – St. Petersburg
NIRSA Collegiate Sport Club Institute Committee Chair: Mandy Madden, University of Notre Dame
NIRSA Marketing Institute Committee Chair: Alexander Marse, Florida State University

Sports Officials’ Development Program Committees (SODP)

 SODP Committees Chair: Nick Brigati, Ohio University
SODP Basketball Committee Chair: Jeffrey Feldhaus, Virginia Tech
SODP Soccer Committee Chair: John Howard, Colorado School of Mines
SODP Volleyball Committee Chair: Jillian Formanski, Drexel University

NIRSA Foundation Committees

NIRSA Foundation Mark Fletcher Fun Run/Walk Committee Chair: Rick Craig, California State University-San Bernardino
NIRSA Foundation Scholarships  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 runs from June 1 to May 31. The following appointments have been made for the 2016–2017 year.

NIRSA Championship Series Committee Chair: Brooke Turner, University of Alabama
Assessment Work Team Chair: April Flint, Ph.D., RCRSP, Emory University
Basketball Work Team Chair: Megan Morris, Loyola University Chicago
Brand Management Work Team Chair: Scott Flickinger, Cornell University
Club Basketball Work Team Chair: Ashley Lax, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Flag Football Work Team Chair: Mark Comer, University of Baltimore
Soccer Work Team Chair: Laura Thomas, Texas Tech University
Standards of Competition Work Team Chair: Keegan Ashbee, University of Florida
Student/Professional Development Work Team Chair: Mary Yemma, North Carolina State University
Tennis Work Team Chair: Gary Cahen, University of Central Florida

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.

Each community of practice has a volunteer convener to help facilitate discussions and manage the resource library. The conveners will use their respective Communities of Practice to accomplish their charges.

Aquatics Convener: Katy Locke, The University of Tennessee
Facilities Convener: Heather Foster, Colorado State University-Fort Collins
Fitness Convener: America Minc, Georgia Southern University
Health & Wellbeing Convener: Gregory Reinhardt, RCRSP, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Intramural Sports Convener: Craig Brewer, University of Albany
Marketing Convener: Jessica Arnal, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Outdoor Recreation Convener: Michael Ostman, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Risk Management Convener: Jordan Gardner, Western Kentucky University
Sport Clubs Convener: Steven Karasewski, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Sustainability Convener: Linda Clauss, Ed.D., California State University-East Bay

The 2016–2017 committees had the opportunity to meet in person at the 2016 NIRSA Annual Conference in Kissimmee, Florida. The meetings provided committee members with a chance to better acquaint themselves and review their charges for the year.

You can find details on other NIRSA volunteer leaders for the 2016–2017 leadership year in this news article.

For more information about NIRSA volunteer opportunities, please visit the NIRSA Lead webpage or contact NIRSA Director of Membership & Leadership Programs Christine Haluzak.

Christine Haluzak is currently NIRSA's Director of Membership and Leadership Programs; she is available at christine.haluzak@nirsa.org.