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NCAA News Archive - 2007
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NCAA Eligibility Center staff adds five to director level
The NCAA News
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The NCAA News
NCAA Eligibility Center President Todd Leyden has assembled his leadership team, appointing five directors to the staff. They are:
Bill Saum — Director of amateurism certification.
Lori Williams — Director of academic certification.
Lisa Mills — Director of high school review.
Greg Dana — Director of client relations.
Gary deCastro — Director of operations and performance management.
“These five individuals bring diverse backgrounds and significant skill sets to the Eligibility Center staff,” said Leyden. “Many have extensive NCAA experience, while others bring business expertise and a customer mindset to the many processes we are responsible for implementing. Our new leadership team is well suited to position the Eligibility Center as an excellent ‘first impression’ for the thousands of prospects and parents who annually seek eligibility certification for participation in intercollegiate athletics.”
The NCAA Eligibility Center, which was announced in January, will have responsibility for academic and amateur eligibility functions currently managed by the ACT. The Eligibility Center will gradually assume responsibilities this summer and will emphasize enhanced service, education and outreach to the membership, prospective student-athletes and their parents on NCAA programs, services and educational initiatives.
For more information on the Eligibility Center, see the January 29 NCAA News.
Following are biographical summaries of the new directors.
Saum
Saum will focus on the amateurism component of eligibility certification. He has had experience in that area already as the NCAA’s director of membership services/amateurism issues since 2005. He also served as director of agent, gambling and amateurism activities from 1998 to 2005.
For two years before his promotion to director, he was the NCAA’s representative for agent and gambling issues. Saum was an NCAA enforcement representative from April 1988 to September 1996.
Before joining the NCAA, Saum was an assistant football coach and assistant dean of students at Defiance College. He also was an assistant football coach and educator at Rittman (Ohio) High School and an assistant football coach and head track coach at Heidelberg College. In addition, Saum was a graduate assistant football coach at Bowling Green State University.
He earned an undergraduate degree in education from the University of Dayton in 1981. He also has a master’s degree in sports administration from Bowling Green.
Williams
Williams will oversee the academic certification process for domestic and international prospects. She also will determine appropriate business practices to identify and resolve applications warranting additional review and inquiry, including the administration and processing of Divisions I and II initial-eligibility waivers. Williams also will serve as the principal contact for legal matters affecting the Eligibility Center.
Williams has been a director in the national office governance and membership services staff, overseeing key initial-eligibility processes, including all areas associated with an individual student-athlete’s academic initial eligibility. She also oversaw policy matters involving the Divisions I and II Student Records Review group, the appellate body for prospective student-athlete academic record review. Williams spent more than five years with the enforcement staff before that.
She came to the NCAA after working for two years at the Big 12 Conference as an assistant director of compliance. Before her assignment with the Big 12, Williams served in the compliance department at Texas Tech University.
Williams earned her bachelor’s degree from Baylor University in management information systems. She completed her juris doctorate at Texas Tech University School of Law and is licensed to practice law in the state of Texas.
Mills
An NCAA staff member for almost 10 years, Mills will administer the Eligibility Center’s high school review processes (new schools and schools under review) and oversee areas related to core courses. She also will work with customer service groups to ensure appropriate outreach to high schools and affiliated bodies.
She came to the NCAA in January 1998 as a membership services representative. She became an associate director with that staff in 2002. She worked primarily in initial eligibility, core courses and international student records.
Before her national office tenure, Mills taught English and language arts at the high school level in Minnesota for 10 years. She also has coached gymnastics at various levels for 17 years.
She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of North Dakota.
Dana
Dana, a certified public accountant, is new to the NCAA after an extensive career as a chief financial officer and controller in the professional auto racing industry. He will oversee all client relations and customer service activities of the NCAA Eligibility Center and will continually evaluate the operation to improve the quality of service, and promote teamwork and a service-oriented mentality across all groups. That will involve understanding the needs of prospective student-athletes, member institutions and other constituent groups and collaborating to ensure such needs are met.
Most recently, Dana ran his own LLC, providing strategic planning, business management and financial services to clients such as Patrick Racing, Fernandez Racing, and PKV Racing. From 1996 to 2004, he was the controller for Patrick Racing in Indianapolis. He also served in a controller role for the Patrick Energy Group in Tulsa, Oklahoma; the Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc., in Indianapolis; and the Monterrey Grand Prix in Mexico.
Before that, Dana spent three years as an audit senior for Andersen Worldwide in St. Louis.
He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, Bloomington. He also has youth sports coaching experience in soccer and wrestling.
deCastro
A former director of supply chain solutions for Marketsphere Consulting in Indianapolis, deCastro will lead the development of data-based decision-making for the Eligibility Center and execution related to topics such as certification integrity, quality service and financial stewardship. He will oversee the business intelligence platform of the prospective student-athlete certification process and monitor performance levels for the department. He also will ensure the successful implementation of the requisite business processes, technology and personnel necessary to launch and sustain Eligibility Center activities.
He brings extensive information technology and business-strategy experience to the NCAA, having served for four years as vice president for logistics at Jarden Home Brands in Muncie, Indiana, and for five years as a manager in strategic information technology solutions at Andersen in Indianapolis.
Before that, deCastro was a senior consultant for Cambridge Technology Partners in Chicago for three years and a business consultant for Kraft Foods.
He has a bachelor’s degree from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, Bloomington.
Bill Saum — Director of amateurism certification.
Lori Williams — Director of academic certification.
Lisa Mills — Director of high school review.
Greg Dana — Director of client relations.
Gary deCastro — Director of operations and performance management.
“These five individuals bring diverse backgrounds and significant skill sets to the Eligibility Center staff,” said Leyden. “Many have extensive NCAA experience, while others bring business expertise and a customer mindset to the many processes we are responsible for implementing. Our new leadership team is well suited to position the Eligibility Center as an excellent ‘first impression’ for the thousands of prospects and parents who annually seek eligibility certification for participation in intercollegiate athletics.”
The NCAA Eligibility Center, which was announced in January, will have responsibility for academic and amateur eligibility functions currently managed by the ACT. The Eligibility Center will gradually assume responsibilities this summer and will emphasize enhanced service, education and outreach to the membership, prospective student-athletes and their parents on NCAA programs, services and educational initiatives.
For more information on the Eligibility Center, see the January 29 NCAA News.
Following are biographical summaries of the new directors.
Saum
Saum will focus on the amateurism component of eligibility certification. He has had experience in that area already as the NCAA’s director of membership services/amateurism issues since 2005. He also served as director of agent, gambling and amateurism activities from 1998 to 2005.For two years before his promotion to director, he was the NCAA’s representative for agent and gambling issues. Saum was an NCAA enforcement representative from April 1988 to September 1996.
Before joining the NCAA, Saum was an assistant football coach and assistant dean of students at Defiance College. He also was an assistant football coach and educator at Rittman (Ohio) High School and an assistant football coach and head track coach at Heidelberg College. In addition, Saum was a graduate assistant football coach at Bowling Green State University.
He earned an undergraduate degree in education from the University of Dayton in 1981. He also has a master’s degree in sports administration from Bowling Green.
Williams
Williams will oversee the academic certification process for domestic and international prospects. She also will determine appropriate business practices to identify and resolve applications warranting additional review and inquiry, including the administration and processing of Divisions I and II initial-eligibility waivers. Williams also will serve as the principal contact for legal matters affecting the Eligibility Center.Williams has been a director in the national office governance and membership services staff, overseeing key initial-eligibility processes, including all areas associated with an individual student-athlete’s academic initial eligibility. She also oversaw policy matters involving the Divisions I and II Student Records Review group, the appellate body for prospective student-athlete academic record review. Williams spent more than five years with the enforcement staff before that.
She came to the NCAA after working for two years at the Big 12 Conference as an assistant director of compliance. Before her assignment with the Big 12, Williams served in the compliance department at Texas Tech University.
Williams earned her bachelor’s degree from Baylor University in management information systems. She completed her juris doctorate at Texas Tech University School of Law and is licensed to practice law in the state of Texas.
Mills
An NCAA staff member for almost 10 years, Mills will administer the Eligibility Center’s high school review processes (new schools and schools under review) and oversee areas related to core courses. She also will work with customer service groups to ensure appropriate outreach to high schools and affiliated bodies.She came to the NCAA in January 1998 as a membership services representative. She became an associate director with that staff in 2002. She worked primarily in initial eligibility, core courses and international student records.
Before her national office tenure, Mills taught English and language arts at the high school level in Minnesota for 10 years. She also has coached gymnastics at various levels for 17 years.
She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of North Dakota.
Dana
Dana, a certified public accountant, is new to the NCAA after an extensive career as a chief financial officer and controller in the professional auto racing industry. He will oversee all client relations and customer service activities of the NCAA Eligibility Center and will continually evaluate the operation to improve the quality of service, and promote teamwork and a service-oriented mentality across all groups. That will involve understanding the needs of prospective student-athletes, member institutions and other constituent groups and collaborating to ensure such needs are met.Most recently, Dana ran his own LLC, providing strategic planning, business management and financial services to clients such as Patrick Racing, Fernandez Racing, and PKV Racing. From 1996 to 2004, he was the controller for Patrick Racing in Indianapolis. He also served in a controller role for the Patrick Energy Group in Tulsa, Oklahoma; the Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc., in Indianapolis; and the Monterrey Grand Prix in Mexico.
Before that, Dana spent three years as an audit senior for Andersen Worldwide in St. Louis.
He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, Bloomington. He also has youth sports coaching experience in soccer and wrestling.
deCastro
A former director of supply chain solutions for Marketsphere Consulting in Indianapolis, deCastro will lead the development of data-based decision-making for the Eligibility Center and execution related to topics such as certification integrity, quality service and financial stewardship. He will oversee the business intelligence platform of the prospective student-athlete certification process and monitor performance levels for the department. He also will ensure the successful implementation of the requisite business processes, technology and personnel necessary to launch and sustain Eligibility Center activities.He brings extensive information technology and business-strategy experience to the NCAA, having served for four years as vice president for logistics at Jarden Home Brands in Muncie, Indiana, and for five years as a manager in strategic information technology solutions at Andersen in Indianapolis.
Before that, deCastro was a senior consultant for Cambridge Technology Partners in Chicago for three years and a business consultant for Kraft Foods.
He has a bachelor’s degree from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, Bloomington.
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