Jerry M. Hughes, director of athletics at Central Missouri State University, has been elected chair of the Division II Management Council.

Hughes, a Management Council member since 1997, will chair the Council for one year beginning at the conclusion of the 2001 NCAA Convention in Orlando.

Hughes has been extensively involved in NCAA affairs over the last two decades. He represented Division II on the old Executive Committee, chaired the Division II Championships Committee, served a term as Division II vice-president in the old structure and was a member of the NCAA Council. He also has served on the committees overseeing membership structure, special events and postseason football. He currently sits on the Division II Budget and Finance Committee, the Administrative Review Subcommittee and the Initial-Eligibility Appeals Subcommittee. He also is a member of the executive committee of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

Under Hughes' leadership, the Central Missouri State athletics program has enjoyed unprecedented success. Of particular note, the institution's men's and women's basketball teams both won Division II championships in 1984, the only time in Division II history that accomplishment has been achieved. The Mules also won the 1994 Division II baseball title.

Going into the 2000-01 academic year, Central Missouri State teams had won 74 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association championships, three NCAA championships and had 18 other NCAA top-four finishes during Hughes' tenure. He served as interim basketball coach in 1991-92, leading the Mules to a 15-13 mark.

A Missouri native, Hughes received his B.A. from Central Missouri State, where he was a three-year letterman in golf. He earned a master's degree in secondary school administration from Central Missouri State in 1979.