Charles (Chuck) Ambrose, president of Pfeiffer University, has been elected chair of the Division II Presidents Council, while Jill Willson, athletics director at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, has been chosen to lead the Division II Management Council.

Ambrose and Willson will take their new positions at the end of the 2006 Convention in Indianapolis.

Ambrose replaces Kathryn A. Martin, chancellor of the University of Minnesota Duluth, and Willson takes the place of Paul H. Engelmann, faculty athletics representative at Central Missouri State University.

Ambrose

Ambrose became Pfeiffer's eighth president in 1998. Before that appointment, he served as director of Furman University's athletics fund-raising organization the Paladin Club. He also was executive assistant to the president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and vice president for advancement at Carson-Newman College.

Ambrose has served in several outside leadership positions as well, including as president of the Carolinas-Virginia Conference from 2000 to 2002.

Ambrose earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Furman, where he was captain of the soccer team. He also earned a master's degree in higher education administration from the University of Louisville -- where he was a volunteer assistant coach for the men's soccer team -- and a doctorate in the same academic field from the University of Georgia.

Willson

Willson is in her 13th year with the Texas A&M-Kingsville athletics department and her third as athletics director.

Willson has also served as associate athletics director and head women's basketball coach at the institution. One of her women's basketball teams went 23-7 and earned its second NCAA regional appearance.

Before beginning her tenure at Texas A&M-Kingsville, Willson was an assistant basketball coach at Wayland Baptist University for three years. As a student at West Texas A&M University, she played for one season before becoming a student assistant coach for two years.

Willson serves on the board of directors of the Boys and Girls Club of Kingsville, Kingsville Convention and Visitor's Bureau and the Whataburger Cactus Bowl. She also was president of the Kingsville Rotary Club in 2003-04.