2009 to 2010 – National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators

Under the direction of President Carolayne Henry, NACWAA saw major organizational transformations and initiatives, highlighted by the hiring of NACWAA Executive Director Patti Phillips.

“Past President Barb Shroeder, President-Elect Susan Bassett, and I served on the executive hiring committee, and I am proud to say that we selected Patti Phillips. This is one of my proudest moments as president, and I am excited to see this organization grow under her leadership,” Carolayne said.

Patti began her position as Executive Director of NACWAA in Wilmington, North Carolina in April of 2010 before moving the headquarters across the country to Kansas City, Missouri in June.   The Executive Director title was changed to Chief Executive Officer in October of 2010.

“We faced some challenges in transitioning new leadership and navigating new technology. We are learning and implementing new ways and better practices to communicate with our members across the nation,” Carolayne said.

Carolayne, Patti, and the board of directors hit many milestones in 2010, including rebranding NACWAA and creating the “Inspired Woman” logo, launching online membership surveys, and creating a new website, which included an association management system.

“We wanted to be innovative and forward thinking, which meant doing things outside the box. Don’t ever be afraid to be outside the box. Be comfortable being outside the box!” Carolayne said.

Other major accomplishments from NACWAA during this time:

• Former Ball State Athletic Director Andi Seger hired as interim Executive Director during the search process
• Completed the organization’s first audit.
• Received close to $200,000 in in-kind services from Kansas City companies during the transition.
• Secured $50,000 in new sponsorships for the National Convention
• Developed a new 5-year Strategic Plan
• Reorganized the committee structure
• Developed a plan for increased regional programming

NACWAA continued to be committed to recognizing the achievements and successes of administrators working in athletics. Click here to view all NACWAA/ Women Leaders in College Sports award winners.

Darlene Bailey, William Jewell College
Susan Bassett, President-Elect, Carnegie Mellon
Anucha Browne, NCAA
Kim Chandler, Macalester College
Vicky Chun, Colgate University
Debbie Corum, University of Connecticut
Debby DeAngelis, Cal State-East Bay
Carolyn Schlie Femovich, Patriot League
Lynn Holzman, NCAA
Germaine McAuley, Spelman College
Joan McDermott, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Barb Schroeder, Past-President, Regis College
Jane Miller, University of Virginia
Barbara Osborne, University of North Carolina
Faith Shearer, Elon University

At the 2010 Academy Awards, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman in history to win the best director Oscar award. Kathryn’s film, The Hurt Locker, about a bomb disposal team, received six academy awards, including best picture and best original screenplay.

Kathryn was only the fourth woman to be nominated for best director in the then 82-year history of the Oscars. In her acceptance speech, she described the award as a “moment of a lifetime” and dedicated her Oscar to the servicemen and women in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Carolayne Henry currently guides the Mountain West in the area of governance and legal affairs and serves as the Conference’s Senior Woman Administrator. Her responsibilities at the Mountain West include overseeing NCAA rules compliance and governance, conducting the MW’s background check program for game officials, serving as primary liaison to the MW women’s basketball coaches, serving as the staff liaison to various MW committees and serving as the MW’s primary esports administrator.

Carolayne also works with the Conference Board of Directors, senior woman administrators, faculty athletic representatives and academic advisors. She was on the NCAA Academics/Eligibility Compliance Cabinet for four years (1999-2003). During this time, she spent one year on the Division I Subcommittee on Financial Aid, and three years on the Division I Subcommittee for Student-Athlete Reinstatement. Carolayne completed her term as chair of the Reinstatement Committee, spending a total of six years on the committee with two of those as chair. She also spent two years on the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Issues Committee. Carolayne was the MW representative to the NCAA Division I Management Council for four years. From 2008 to 2010, Carolayne was the MW representative to the NCAA Division I Administration Cabinet. In the spring of 2009, Carolayne was named to the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee, which is responsible for administering the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship. Carolayne served as chair of the Women’s Basketball Committee for 2012-13 and 2013-14.  Carolayne served on the NCAA Two-Year Governance Review Working Group and was recently named to the NCAA Federal and State Legislation Working Group.

Prior to joining the Mountain West Conference staff, Carolayne was a representative of the NCAA membership services staff for nearly six years. She interpreted and drafted legislation for the NCAA membership and acted as the liaison to several NCAA committees. In addition to her legislative duties at the NCAA, Carolayne prepared educational material, organized videoconference presentations on NCAA rules for high schools and colleges, and coordinated NCAA regional rules seminars.

Prior to joining the NCAA staff, Carolayne was a judicial law clerk in the Superior Court of Pennsylvania after which she practiced law in the private sector in the Pittsburgh area. She holds court admission to the United States District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

A member of the University of Michigan women’s basketball team from 1982-86, Carolayne graduated with her B.A. in Political Science from Michigan in 1986. She went on to study at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Law and earned a Juris Doctorate in 1990.

A Battle Creek, Mich., native, Carolayne resides in Colorado Springs, CO. In October 2011, she completed a year-long term as the President of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA), after two stints on the organization’s Board of Directors (2000-2004, 2008-2011). Carolayne received the 2005 NACWAA Nell Jackson Award, and attended the 2001 NACWAA Institute for Athletics Executives and the 1998 NACWAA/HERS Institute for Administrative Advancement. In 2012, Carolayne was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory, Inc. In 2019, Carolayne was appointed to the Riot Scholastic Association of America (RSAA) and named the group’s first chair.  She is a past member (1999-2003) of the Colorado Springs Girl Scouts Wagon Wheel Council Board of Directors, the Sports Lawyers Association and the American Bar Association.