The Division II Presidents Council at its meeting in Indianapolis this week appointed two independent members to serve on the Division II Executive Board, the modified version of the Presidents Council that will take over Feb. 1.
The two independent members will be Lisa Borders, an experienced executive who has served as the president of the WNBA, along with holding other leadership positions, and Larry Parkinson, a former college wrestler who retired in 2021 after 40 years of federal public service.
Borders, who's currently in a consulting services and leadership development role, previously worked as vice president at Coca-Cola and as the chair of the Coca-Cola Foundation before transitioning to become president of the WNBA from 2016-18. Her other prior roles include serving as president at the Grady Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of a trauma center in Atlanta, and as the vice mayor and City Council president for the city of Atlanta.
Parkinson, a graduate of now-Division II Northern State where he wrestled, brings a variety of public service experience to the Executive Board. His most recent experience includes serving as director of enforcement and the director of investigations for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. He also spent time at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of the Interior.
"The two independent members will bring tremendous experience, perspective and passion to Division II, and we look forward to welcoming them to the Executive Board," said Steve Shirley, chair of the Division II Presidents Council and president at Minot State. "Their desire to serve the Division II membership in this capacity speaks to their belief in the life-changing impact that college sports have on student-athletes and their desire to help enhance those opportunities in the future."
In addition to the two independent members, the 14-member Division II Executive Board will comprise nine presidents and chancellors and two student-athletes as voting members, and the chair of the Division II Management Council will serve as a nonvoting member of the board. Independent members will serve a two-year term and will be eligible for an additional two-year term.
Membership-sponsored proposals
The Presidents Council opposed two membership-sponsored proposals for the 2024 NCAA Convention.
One proposal would permit schools to participate in their first football contest one week before the Thursday preceding Sept. 6. Another proposal would limit softball's playing season to 56 contests (games and scrimmages) during the segment in which the NCAA championship is conducted and eight contests (games and scrimmages) during the nonchampionship segment.
In its opposition, members agreed to sign on to the rationale provided by the Division II Management Councilin its opposition of the two membership-sponsored proposals.
At the Division II business session of the 2024 Convention, there will be five proposals — two membership-sponsored proposals and three sponsored by the Division II Presidents Council — voted on via the division's one-school, one-vote legislative process. For a proposal from the Division II membership to be voted on at an NCAA Convention, it must have at least 15 active Division II schools or two Division II conferences on behalf of 15 or more of their member schools as sponsors.
2025 NCAA Convention proposals
The Presidents Council sponsored one proposal for the 2025 NCAA Convention and asked for additional time to review another proposal.
The proposal the council sponsored for the 2025 Convention would eliminate legislation around progress-toward-degree requirements to simplify the certification process. Specifically, the concept would eliminate the requirement that a student-athlete must earn at least 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours of academic credit during the regular academic year. Eliminating the legislation would simplify the certification process without jeopardizing the overall academic success of a student-athlete since the student-athlete would still be required to meet the term-by-term, annual credit-hour and grade-point average requirements. Based on a review of the 2022 Academic Performance Census data, 96% of student-athletes from semester schools who satisfied the nine hour term-by-term requirement in their spring semester also satisfied the 18-semester-hour requirement. Further, 98% of student-athletes from quarter schools who satisfied the term-by-term requirement in their spring quarter also satisfied the 27-quarter- hour requirement.
The council discussed another concept that would eliminate the requirement that a qualifier who is a two-year college transfer must earn transferrable credit hours in English, math and science. Following a robust discussion, the council requested additional time to review and discuss the concept. The council will discuss the proposal at a future meeting.
Elections, appointments
The Presidents Council elected Colleen Perry Keith, president at Goldey-Beacom, to serve a one-year term as its chair, effective at the conclusion of the 2024 NCAA Convention.
Additionally, the Presidents Council approved the election of Roberta Page, director of athletics at Slippery Rock, as chair of the Division II Management Council, and Erin Lind, commissioner of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, as vice chair of the Management Council. Both elections are effective following the conclusion of the 2024 NCAA Convention.
Members also ratified the appointment of eight members to the Management Council. Those appointments are listed below:
- Kristy Bayer, director of athletics at Rockhurst.
- Carlin Chesick, senior associate commissioner/senior woman administrator at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
- Peter Crabb, faculty athletics representative at Northwest Nazarene.
- Jerry Haywood, faculty athletics representative at Fort Valley State.
- David Hicks, director of athletics at King (Tennessee).
- Kristina Ortiz, assistant director of athletics/senior woman administrator at Georgian Court.
- Kim Pate, director of athletics at Lenoir-Rhyne.
- Rubin Stevenson, senior associate director of athletics for internal operations at Frostburg State.
