The Senior Woman Administrator (SWA): Georgia Tech’s Akin & BYU’s Darger
Liz Darger, Senior Associate AD/SWA at BYU, and Joeleen Akin, Associate AD/SWA at Georgia Tech, join ADU to discuss the role of the Senior Woman Administrator in college athletics. Darger notes how important it is to have a woman’s perspective on major decisions in athletics. Akin emphasizes keys for women, specifically the SWA, like having oversight of either Men’s Basketball or Football. Referring to the latest NCAA study on the SWA designation, both Darger and Akin express some concern on the general lack of understanding of the role among ADs, Student-Athletes, and fellow administrators. Matt Tanney, outgoing AD at Western Illinois and incoming AD at Wabash College (DIII), moderates the discussion.
00:00 - Introduction
00:39 - Relationship between SWA & AD
03:54 - How important is it to be included in major decisions as the SWA?
05:45 - Lack of clarity of the SWA role in Athletics
08:37 - Diversity of thought among SWAs
10:27 - How has previous experience helped in your current position?
12:24 - Relationships with Student-Athletes
13:57 - Communicating concerns to the AD
16:20 - How important is it for women to oversee MBB or FB?
19:03 - How do you see the SWA role evolving in the future?
Originally published on 5/27/2018
