Indiana Senior Associate Athletics Director M. Grace Calhoun worked as an electrical engineer before embarking on her current career as an athletics administrator. Now she’s helping engineer a new day in Division I governance as chair of the Student-Athlete Awards, Benefits and Financial Aid Cabinet.

Calhoun’s cabinet is responsible for addressing NCAA Bylaw 15 financial aid matters and issues related to NCAA Bylaw 16 awards, benefits and expenses for enrolled student-athletes (excluding championship awards and travel). This cabinet, along with the Championships/Sports Management Cabinet and the Recruiting Cabinet, serves as replacements for the former Championships/Competition Cabinet.

Formerly a track and field student-athlete at Brown, Calhoun majored in electrical engineering and went on to work in the field. She made the transition from engineering to athletics after tutoring football student-athletes and serving as a graduate assistant in the track and field program at Florida while pursuing a graduate degree in biomedical engineering there.   

However, she puts her engineering background to use every day and is looking forward to applying her problem-solving skills to a broader examination of financial aid, benefits and awards. After acknowledging past studies on these issues, Calhoun believes the environment has changed dramatically and requires a fresh approach.

“My vision for the cabinet is to not accept past ways of doing things as the right way just because that’s how it’s been done, and to look critically at legislation and issues to better serve the membership and student-athletes by looking at things in slightly different ways in the future,” she said.

As the cabinet prepares to engage in its charge, Calhoun has already identified some potential early challenges. Heading into the group’s inaugural meeting September 18-19 in Indianapolis, she plans to stress the importance of good communication with the membership and taking a global perspective on issues with a focus on what’s best for Division I.

Calhoun’s tenure on a variety of conference and Association related committees, including the NCAA Olympic Sports Liaisons and Research Committees, have uniquely prepared her for the role of cabinet chair. In addition, although she has served at Division I institutions her entire career, they have ranged from small, private schools to large, state institutions. Such well-rounded experiences, said Calhoun, have helped her tackle issues from a perspective of what’s good for the division and the Association, rather than just her institution.

Even as Calhoun embarks on her new leadership role, she continues to be a strong proponent for a familiar one: work/life balance. A mother of three, Calhoun stressed that it is possible to have a family and career in intercollegiate athletics – she in fact points to herself as an example.

“I have always enjoyed having governance be a part of my job description, so I think this is a labor of love,” she said. “I do enjoy the engagement with the membership and trying to problem solve to find better solutions going forward.”