Friday, June 7, 2019
PORTLAND, Ore. — Concordia associate athletic director for compliane and academic support and senior woman administrator Jessica Harbison Weaver is one of 22 senior administrators to participate in the NCAA Pathway Program for the 2019-20 academic year.
"I'm extremely excited for this opportunity to learn from and alongside some of the greatest leaders in intercollegiate athletics," said Harbison Weaver. "It's extremely important to continue to grow and develop within the ever-evolving intercollegiate athletics world, and this program gives me that chance. The 2019-20 Pathway Program will allow me to further develop my leadership skills while engaging with other leaders in the industry."
Harbison Weaver is one of ten participants from NCAA Division II and II intuitions or conference offices. She is one of five participants from NCAA Division II institutions. The singularly focused goal of the Pathways Program is to prepare individuals to excel as director of athletics or conference commissioners.
Katrice Albert, NCAA executive vice president of inclusion and human resources, will serve as the executive sponsor for the Pathway Program. In this role, Albert will have a direct influence on the content design and curriculum development of the year's programming, while also meeting frequently with the group throughout the year.
"Our Pathway Program represents one of NCAA leadership development's marquee offerings, with a tangible history of producing the desired outcome of elevating its participating administrators," Albert said. "I am very excited to be involved with such a dynamic group of leaders to engage, assist, and facilitate their growth and development.
The cohort of 22 senior administrators coming from institutions across all three divisions will convene July 7-12 at the NCAA national office for an engaging week of programming. Participants will take a deep dive into effective leadership strategies, the development of culture and organization, factors necessary to obtain an athletics director or conference commissioner position, and ways to thrive and excel in the role. The attendees will hear from accomplished speakers who will help facilitate critical conversations on an array of topics related to the state of college athletics.
Over the past 22 years, the highly acclaimed Pathway Program (formerly the Fellows Program) has produced more than 100 alumni. Nearly 25 percent of the participants have become directors of athletics, while more than 60 percent received promotions in their careers.
Harbison Weaver was hired in October 2017 and came to Concordia from the University of California, Riverside where she was the assistant athletic director of compliance since June 2017.