WILMINGTON, N.C. -- The National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA), on behalf of the Board of Directors and President Barbara Schroeder, is pleased to announce the addition of Faith Shearer, Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator at Elon University, to the NACWAA Board of Directors and Barbara Osborne, Esq., Associate Professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at University of North Carolina as Legal Counsel to the board. Shearer will finish out the term held by Roberta Page, former Director of Athletics at Shippensburg University and now Director of Championships at the NCAA, which will end October of 2012.
Faith Shearer joined the Elon staff in 2002 after serving at Johns Hopkins University for three years as its senior associate director of athletics and recreation and senior woman administrator. She oversees the Phoenix volleyball, softball, cross country, track and field and women’s basketball programs. She also coordinates academic support and admissions for the department. Shearer is currently serving as the chair of the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics as well as the NCAA Women of the Year Selection Committee. She has previously served as a member of the NCAA Olympic Sport Liaison Committee. The 1994 Smith College graduate holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. Shearer was a four-year member of the Smith volleyball team, captaining her senior year squad. She went on to earn a Master’s of Science in Organizational Development and Human Resources at Johns Hopkins in 2001.
"NACWAA is very fortunate to have Faith Shearer accept our appointment to the Board of Directors. Her previous history of attending NACWAA's Educational Institutes combined with her extensive national and regional committee service will make her an invaluable member. I am excited to work with Faith and know that she will be a great asset in her leadership role with our organization," said Board President Barbara Schroeder, Director of Athletics at Regis University.
Barbara Osborne currently serves as an Associate Professor in the Exercise and Sport Science department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has directed the graduate and undergraduate programs in sport management, and teaches a variety of sport management courses. Her current research focuses on legal issues in intercollegiate athletics, Title IX, and women’s issues in sport.
Prior to her appointment at UNC, Barbara worked for 14 years as an administrator in intercollegiate athletics. She has also had experience as a coach, public relations coordinator, television sports commentator, publisher and sports information director. As an attorney, Barbara is licensed to practice law in North Carolina and Massachusetts. She has served as the Chair of the Sport and Entertainment Law section of the North Carolina Bar Association, as well as a member of the Sport Lawyers Association and the Sport and Recreation Law Association. A life-long athlete, Barbara has been recognized for her contributions to sport by the Kenosha (WI) Sports Hall of Fame and the MAIAW Rowlands Award for Outstanding Achievement in Women’s Sports
"I take comfort in knowing that someone of Barbara Osborne's stature has accepted our invitation to serve as NACWAA's legal counsel. Barbara's background in Intercollegiate Athletics and Sport Law make her the perfect fit for this role. Her history and knowledge of important issues that affect NACWAA and its' members will benefit us all greatly. We welcome her expertise and her willingness to serve," added Schroeder.