Jan. 31, 2007

AMHERST, Mass. - Associate Athletic Director For Compliance Tricia Turley has been chosen to participate in the 2007-08 Fellows Leadership Development Program as announced by the NCAA on Monday. Now in her second year at UMass, Turley is just one of 12 administrators nation-wide who was chosen to participate in the program which lasts 18-months and is aimed at further development of leadership skills in the intercollegiate athletic/academic environment.

"I am very excited to participate in the NCAA Fellows Leadership program. As a former NCAA intern, I am thankful to the Committee on Women's Athletics and the Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee for sponsoring both programs. The Fellows program will be an excellent opportunity for me to grow professionally and to develop skills that will enhance my contribution to the UMass Department of Athletics," said Turley.

Developed by the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee and the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics and launched in 1997, the aim of the program is to enhance the employment and leadership opportunities for women and racial/ethnic minorities at the senior management level of intercollegiate athletics administration.

"Tricia is an outstanding candidate for the NCAA Fellows Leadership Development Program. The professionalism and dedication that Tricia brings to everything she does will be an asset in this endeavor," said John McCutcheon, UMass Director of Athletics. "We are very fortunate to have a member of our UMass Athletics staff participate in this extremely prestigious opportunity."

As part of the 18-month program, fellows gain academic and practical work experiences that will enable them to develop their talents and abilities and mesh those skills with their career aspirations. The program also is designed to foster leadership within intercollegiate athletics and provide a clear view of how athletics fits within the total academic experience.

In addition, each NCAA Fellows is assigned an executive mentor and is responsible for completing an in-depth project outside of their normal job responsibilities. The 2007-08 NCAA fellows and their executive mentors are:

• Megan Boone, assistant athletics director/compliance, University of Northern Colorado (Division I) Executive mentor: Todd Turner, director of athletics, University of Washington

• Wheeler Brown, associate athletics director/internal operations, North Carolina A & T State University (Division I) Executive mentor: Bob Stull, director of athletics, University of Texas at El-Paso

• Ann Carr, associate athletics director and senior woman administrator, Mississippi State University (Division I) Executive mentor: Brad Bates, director of athletics, Miami University (Ohio)

• Julio Freire, associate athletics director/development, Tennessee Tech University (Division I) Executive mentor: Jim Livengood, athletics director, University of Arizona

• Julie Greenwood, women's tennis coach, acting senior woman administrator and assistant professor of physical education, Williams College (Division III) Executive mentor: Carolyn Schlie Femovich, executive director, Patriot League

• Carolyn O'Connell, senior associate athletics director, senior woman administrator and compliance coordinator, Loyola University (Division I) Executive mentor: Mark Murphy, director of athletics, Northwestern University

• Milton Overton, associate athletics director, Texas A&M University (Division I) Executive mentor: Damon Evans, director of athletics, University of Georgia

• Karen Peters, associate athletics director and senior woman administrator, University of Portland (Division I) Executive mentor: Warde Manuel, director of athletics, University at Buffalo

• Monica Severson, associate athletics director and senior woman administrator, Wartburg College (Division III) Executive mentor: John Harper, director of athletics, Bridgewater State College

• T.J. Shelton, assistant director of athletics and director of facilities, operations, and special events, Washington University in St. Louis (Division III) Executive mentor: Sean Frazier, director of athletics, Merrimack College

• Tricia Turley, associate athletics director/compliance, University of Massachusetts (Division I) Executive mentor: Bob Driscoll, director of athletics, Providence College

• Gerald Young, associate athletics director and professor in physical education and recreation, Carleton College (Division III) Executive mentor: Bob Nielson, director of athletics, University of Minnesota, Duluth.

NCAA fellows remain at their current institutions for the duration of the program and attend the NCAA Convention, Association-related meetings, retreats and workshops. Areas of emphasis throughout the 18 months include marketing, public and media relations, budgeting, booster relations, leadership training, compliance, fund-raising, diversity training and management training.