CLEVELAND – After officially assuming the role of Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) on January 1, 2023, Pat Manak has announced several promotions and a reorganization of duties for the NACDA staff, effective immediately.
 
"One of our greatest strengths as an Association is the people – our staff, our leadership and our members," Manak said. "The NACDA staff is a talented group of individuals whose passion and dedication to this industry is incredibly inspiring, and I am proud to work alongside them each day. This reorganization will help us to better serve our constituents as we continue to navigate the ever-changing landscape of college athletics."
 
The updates to the NACDA staff are outlined below.
 
Jason Galaska and Julie Work have been promoted to Executive Vice President.
 
Galaska, a former NACDA intern, has served the Association in a full-time capacity since 2002. Most recently, he was the Association liaison for NAADD, FCS ADA, DI-AAA ADA, D2 ADA, D2 CCA and NATYCAA. He also spearheaded the creation of the NACDA U professional development grant program over the last two years, in addition to facilitating the Senior Administrators Mentoring Institute at Convention for more than a decade. Galaska will focus on NACDA strategic initiatives, Convention planning and logistics and future educational programming as part of the staff realignment. 
 
Work has been a member of the NACDA staff since 2006, when she was initially hired as director of communications. Her role has evolved over the years into Association management, primarily with NAAC and MOAA, and more recently with the newest additions to the NACDA family, NADIIIAA and DIIICA. Work also serves as the primary administrator for the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup, and on the Board of the Mike Cleary Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the National Football Foundation, while assisting with the NACDA internship program. Work will transition to managing the Athletics Director Associations previously guided by Galaska.
 
Together, Galaska and Work have united the NACDA & Affiliates leadership in the diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) space by facilitating an interactive cohort and partnership with Return on Inclusion (ROI), and they will continue to enhance these efforts moving forward.
 
Adrien Harraway has been promoted to Senior Vice President/Director of the McLendon Foundation. A former NACDA intern and past McLendon Scholarship Recipient, Harraway returned to the NACDA staff in 2018 and made an immediate impact, taking the McLendon Foundation to new heights. With the creation of the McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative (MLI) and the Foundation's recent partnership with underdog venture team, the pipeline of aspiring minority administrators in college athletics has grown significantly. Harraway will continue to develop the Foundation as well as lead CABMA and N4A.
 
Kara Ditzel, Katie Hein, Brian Horning and Dana LeRoy have been promoted to Vice President.
 
Ditzel has worked with NACDA's corporate partners since 2011. She actively recruits new companies and maintains relationships with returning supporters, ensuring the activation of assets for the Association's Annual and Convention sponsors in both the short- and long-term. Ditzel also manages the Convention hotel process for NACDA & Affiliates members, and recently transitioned into the role of Exhibit Hall sales manager, facilitating the sales, placement and execution of the largest trade show in college athletics. She will continue to actively work day-to-day on the corporate side, in addition to overseeing NACDA's hotel process for the FBS Leadership Summit and the Men's Final Four annually.
 
Hein served as a NACDA intern in 2007-08 and following that term, has been a full-time member of the staff ever since. She has worked as an Association Manager for several Affiliate Associations during her time at the National Office, including CEFMA since its inception in 2008. Most recently, Hein has transitioned to event planning, including logistics, programming and content specifically for the NACDA & Affiliates Fall Forum and NACDA Spring Symposium. She has also overseen the creation of successful virtual programs like NACDA's Coffee with an AD series. In addition to Convention planning logistics and managing Mid-Winter Meetings, Hein will continue to facilitate NACDA Honors & Awards programs such as the Cushman & Wakefield Athletics Director of the Year.
 
Horning is the second longest-tenured active full-time member of the NACDA staff, beginning his career on Cleary Way in 1993. Horning oversees the membership process for all 22,000+ NACDA & Affiliates members and has seen the number of Associations under the NACDA umbrella grow from three to 18. He has updated and maintained the membership database through five content management systems during his time with NACDA and continues to work to refine the process in order to make it more user-friendly for both members and staff. He is also responsible for the event registration process for all NACDA & Affiliates events, especially the Convention and managing on-site registration and credential distribution.

LeRoy served as a NACDA intern for the 2011-12 academic year and returned to the National Office full-time in 2014. Since then she has worked to continually enhance NACDA's communications efforts and the voice of the Association via its two primary vehicles in the Daily Review and Athletics Administration magazine. She is also responsible for maintaining the NACDA website and social media, and manages the NACDA internship program and the Mike Cleary Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the National Football Foundation. Over the last several years LeRoy has worked to develop the NACDA & Affiliates Convention mobile app to add value to the attendee experience. LeRoy and Ditzel also work together to collaborate with NACDA corporate sponsors to brainstorm and deliver communications and marketing related assets that fit the mission of both organizations.

Beth Schindler has added the title of Membership Coordinator to her role as Executive Assistant. Schindler originally joined the NACDA staff in 2013. She has been integral to the process of updating and maintaining the membership database, especially through the Association's complimentary membership year in 2020-21. She will continue to work closely with Horning to ensure the membership and event registration process is streamlined for both new and renewed NACDA & Affiliates members year-round.

Lisa Rocco has been elevated to Senior Accountant. Rocco came to NACDA in 2018. She assists with the financials for NACDA and its 18 Affiliate Associations which all operate independently of one another. Rocco also oversees the financial reimbursement process for members and staff, particularly with professional development grants related to annual meetings and events.

About NACDA: Now in its 58th year, NACDA is the professional and educational Association for more than 22,000 college athletics administrators at more than 2,200 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. NACDA manages 18 professional associations and four foundations. In addition to virtual programming, NACDA hosts five major professional development events in-person annually. The NACDA & Affiliates Convention is the largest gathering of collegiate athletics administrators in the country. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.