The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- February 15, 1999

Mitchell to resign as chief of staff, Racy tabbed as successor

Nancy L. Mitchell, a member of the NCAA staff since 1985 and Division II chief of staff since January 1996, has announced that she will not be relocating to Indianapolis with the national office staff this summer.

Mike L. Racy, assistant chief of staff for Division II, will replace Mitchell as Division II chief of staff after the April governance meetings.

Mitchell joined the NCAA staff as a legislative assistant in 1985 and was promoted to assistant executive director of legislative services in April 1991. She was appointed Division II chief of staff during the restructuring of the Association.

"Nancy has served the NCAA membership in many important functions that go well beyond her job titles," said Cedric W. Dempsey, NCAA president. "Her staff contributions to serving the governance needs of this Association over the past 14 years have been sig- nificant and important and will be missed."

Mitchell has served as staff liaison to the NCAA Council, the Divisions I and III Steering Committees, and the Divisions I and III subcommittees of the Presidents Commission under the old governance structure. She also has served as staff liaison to the Academic Requirements Committee, the Interpretations Committee, the Legislative Review Committee and the Special Committee to Review Student-Athlete Welfare.

A native of the Kansas Ci-ty area, Mit-chell earned both her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Kansas. She also taught English for two years after completing her undergraduate work.

"This was an extremely difficult decision for me and my family," Mitchell said. "The relationships with the people in Division II and the national office made the process even more difficult. In the end, I opted for keeping my family here in Kansas City and seeking other employment opportunities."

Mitchell will continue to serve on the NCAA staff as an advisor with special assignments after the April change in duties.

Racy

Racy joined the NCAA staff in 1993 as a legislative assistant responsible for drafting NCAA legislative proposals, interpreting NCAA rules, preparing periodic litigation summaries and working with the Association's Administrative Review Panel. In 1995, he was assigned additional duties coordinating efforts to educate the membership in all three divisions regarding the restructuring initiative.

A year later, he was named assistant chief of staff for Division II governance groups. His duties have included assisting with the development of concepts for the governance of Division II, communication strategies to keep the membership informed, and monitoring Divisions I and II governance issues.

"We are fortunate to have someone of Mike's experience and talent to step into this important position," Dempsey said. "His knowledge of the governance structure as a whole and his particular work with Division II make him an obvious choice for the assignment."

Before joining the NCAA staff, Racy practiced law with Gage and Tucker, a Kansas City firm, and was sports marketing coordinator for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. A 1987 graduate of Washburn University of Topeka, Racy received his law degree from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, in 1992.