The NCAA has promoted a respected senior leader at the national office to serve as its next vice president of academic and membership affairs.
David Schnase joined the NCAA staff in 1995 and since March 2004 has served as managing director of AMA, overseeing all compliance functions. He begins his new role on Sept. 21.
“David is a highly regarded leader within the NCAA membership and with his peers at the national office, and I look forward to continuing to work with him as he leads AMA in the future,” said Oliver Luck, NCAA executive vice president of regulatory affairs, who appointed Schnase to his new role following a national search.
Schnase will oversee the work of an academic and membership affairs staff that serves all three NCAA divisions in a number of regulatory areas, including rules compliance, interpretation and academics.
“I am honored to lead such a talented group of individuals on the AMA staff, and I appreciate the confidence that Oliver and President Mark Emmert have placed in me,” Schnase said. “As we continue to move forward, we will focus on strengthening our partnership with our member campuses and conferences as together we serve our student-athletes. We stand ready to execute the membership’s priorities by providing outstanding customer service in innovative ways.”
Schnase replaces Kevin Lennon, who took over as vice president of Division I governance in April when longtime NCAA staff member David Berst announced his retirement from that role.
A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Schnase earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and his master’s and law degrees from the University of Kansas. He also has completed the American Council on Education’s fellowship program, through which he served in the University of Nebraska Central Administration.
Schnase began his career at Marshall University as director of athletics compliance and director of judicial affairs before joining the NCAA national office.
What they are saying:
“Dave Schnase brings a unique perspective to the vice president of Academic and Membership Affairs position. Academic and Membership Affairs is one of the most high-profile groups at the national office, and the staff must offer innovative solutions to complex problems while providing guidance and expertise to the membership in both rules compliance and academics. Dave’s national office involvement in all three divisions, his ability to build relationships, the time he spent on campus early in his career and his experience as an ACE fellow will provide good context. I fully expect that Dave will provide strong and progressive leadership, and he will address the needs and issues of both the membership and our student-athletes.”
“Dave Schnase's promotion to Vice President for Academic and Membership Services is well deserved. A tireless worker committed to serving institutions of higher education, athletic programs and most of all student-athletes, Dave's leadership will be instrumental in ensuring the NCAA's success across all the divisions.”
“There couldn’t be a better leader for academic and membership affairs than Dave. He understands the needs of student-athletes, but more importantly, he understands how student-athletes are a critical component of the overall collegiate experience. From Dave’s experience as an ACE fellow and his work with new presidents, his role was teacher within the association about the critical role of intercollegiate athletics. It gives me more confidence in the leadership of the association by virtue of Dave’s appointment. He is as quality a person as he is a leader. He’s shown me a degree of friendship. There’s no greater talent and commitment to student-athletes and their experience.”
“I cannot imagine a better choice for the vice president for academic and membership affairs than Dave Schnase. Dave is one the smartest and most thoughtful people in college athletics. His service-oriented and selfless approach to solving problems will be invaluable to helping the NCAA manage a constantly changing landscape. The NCAA is much better because of Dave’s good work. I would like to congratulate Dave and his family on his selection as vice president.”
“Promoting Dave Schnase to academic and membership affairs vice president is terrific news! I've had the good fortune to work closely with Dave in the early days of the Championship Cabinet in the late 1990s and now as a member of the NCAA Council. He is a bright star in our profession and someone that I have long admired for his unwavering commitment to the total student-athlete experience, their academic success and overall personal growth and development. I'm confident Dave will be tireless in championing services to meet the needs of the 21st century student-athlete in maximizing their great academic and athletic potential. I'm thrilled for our for student-athletes, the NCAA membership and the NCAA staff that we will all benefit from his leadership.”