Rochelle Collins, former longtime member of the NCAA national office staff, has been named president of the National Youth Sports Corporation (NYSC).

Collins, formerly the director of professional development at the NCAA, was appointed as interim president of NYSC in March. She is the first woman to hold the title of president for the NYSC.

As president, Collins will supervise a staff of 15 employees and a budget of $25 million. The Indianapolis-based NYSC was formed in 2000 to administer programs that expose youth to the benefits of sports participation, and reinforce life skills and educational achievement.

Collins began her career at the NCAA in 1990 as a youth programs coordinator, working with the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) and the Youth Education through Sports (YES) program, both of which are now administered by the NYSC.

Before her NCAA tenure, she was assistant athletics director at North Carolina A&T State University, where she was responsible for marketing, promotions and fund-raising. She also worked for one year as a promotions assistant at the University of Michigan.

Collins was a three-time all-American in track and field at the University of Texas, El Paso, where she earned her bachelor's degree in business administration and marketing. She earned a master's degree in sports administration from Wayne State University (Michigan) in 1985.

"I am excited about the opportunity to touch the lives of more than 85,000 youth annually through the NYSC," Collins said. "I have always known first-hand the positive benefits that can come from participating in sports, and I believe these benefits should be available to all youth, particularly those unable to afford access to programs, camps and clinics."

Collins was involved in the development of several access/advancement programs during her NCAA national office tenure, including the Fellows Program, the Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males and the Coaches Academy.

The Black Coaches Association named Collins the 2004 Athletics Administrator of the Year for her work with the NCAA.