Jacki Silar, associate director of athletics at Duke, will chair the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee during the 2008-09 academic year.

Silar’s term as chair will begin September 1. She will succeed LSU Senior Associate Athletics Director Judy Southard, who has chaired the committee for the last two years. Southard will continue to serve on the committee for the 2008-09 academic year.

“It’s a great honor and privilege to be selected by my colleagues to be chair of this committee,” Silar said. “The committee is composed of a tremendous group of people who are working hard every day to grow our championship. I have learned a great deal from the leadership provided by Judy Southard the last two years, and Joni Comstock before that. I, along with the rest of the committee, will work hard to build on the momentum that has been created.”

A 30-year veteran of the Duke athletics department, Silar has served as the associate director of athletics for sports programs since 1998. Previously, Silar was the assistant athletics director for sports programs and served as the academic coordinator for several Blue Devil squads.

Silar currently serves as the chair of the Atlantic Coast Conference field hockey and rowing committees and is a member of the ACC women’s basketball committee, the ACC awards committee and the league’s constitution and bylaws committee.

Since Silar was designated the school’s first senior woman administrator in 1995, Duke’s women’s teams have advanced to the NCAA Women’s Final Four or championship round in basketball, lacrosse, field hockey and tennis. The women’s golf team captured the 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007 NCAA championships.

Silar served as Duke’s assistant women’s basketball coach for 12 seasons and head field hockey coach for 15 years, twice earning ACC and regional coach of the year honors.

Silar graduated from High Point in 1974 and was a four-year member of the field hockey and basketball teams there. She earned her master’s degree from North Carolina while serving as the Tar Heels’ assistant field hockey coach.

“Jacki was an excellent choice to serve as chair of the committee as she has been part of the game of women’s basketball for the last four decades as a student-athlete, coach and administrator,” said Sue Donohoe, NCAA vice president for Division I women’s basketball. “As a committee member the last three years, she has been a champion for our game and its student-athletes and will now serve the committee and championship in this leadership role.”