Nona Richardson Accepts Senior Associate Athletics Position at Utah

Nov. 13, 2014
SALT LAKE CITY--

Nona Richardson, an accomplished athletics administrator and former Division I coach and student-athlete, has accepted a position as a senior associate athletics director and senior woman administrator (SWA) at the University of Utah, Director of Athletics Dr. Chris Hill announced today.

Richardson will start her new job in January, replacing Mary Bowman, who is retiring in December after 19 years at the U.

"We are thrilled to attract a candidate the caliber of Nona Richardson to the University of Utah," said Hill. "Nona brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position, but what really jumps out about Nona is her energy and passion for the job. She is going to be a great advocate for our student-athletes and our support service areas in general. She has also recruited, hired and supervised coaches in a wide variety of sports and draws on her own background as a former Division I coach and athlete."

Richardson, a 30-year veteran of athletics administration, has been at UC Davis for seven years, where she has held the title of executive senior associate athletics director and SWA since 2011. In 2011-12, she also served as the interim athletics director.

"I would like to thank Chris Hill and (Vice President for Student Affairs) Barb Snyder for the opportunity to work at an institution that places such high regard on academics and athletics," said Richardson. "I am impressed at the strides the University of Utah has made in its first few years in the Pac-12 Conference, but even more exciting to me is the tremendous growth potential here. I am looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead."

Richardson will oversee all student-athlete support services at Utah, including academics, sports medicine, nutrition, the wellness team and the life skills program. She will also supervise several sports and will serve as Utah's gender equity and diversity coordinator and a representative on Pac-12 Conference Counsel.

She handled similar responsibilities at her previous three stops at UC Davis (2007-14), Ball State (2002-07) and Valparaiso (1996-2002). At Valparaiso, she held four different titles: head volleyball coach (1996-99), compliance director (1996-2002), assistant AD (1999-2001) and associate AD (2001-02). Her first job in athletics was as an assistant volleyball coach at Kentucky (1984-87) and her first head coaching job was at Eastern Michigan (1987-95). Richardson was also an assistant coach at the 1991 U.S. Olympic Sports Festival.

Richardson has served on numerous committees throughout her distinguished career, including the NCAA Division I Volleyball Committee (2000-02 and 2008-2012) and the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interest Committee. She also served on committees for the Big West Conference, Mid American Conference and Mid-Continent Conference, and sat on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA). She has been a presenter at NCAA and NACWAA conferences and was a panelist at the NCAA Women's Leadership Symposium.

Among Richardson's awards are the Dr. Nell Jackson Award (2000) presented by NACWAA, and the Exceptional Women of Color Award from the Sacramento, Calif., Cultural Hub.

She was a standout volleyball player at Michigan State (1978-81) where she was a team co-captain, MVP and a member of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) all-state team.

The Albany, N.Y., native received a bachelor's degree in physical education from Michigan State in 1983 and a master's degree in human behavior and society from Valparaiso in 1999.

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Nona Richardson Accepts Senior Associate Athletics Position at Utah

Completed Event: General versus Arizona on January 18, 2002

Completed Event: General versus Utah St on November 30, 2001 , Win , 3, to, 1

Completed Event: General versus San Diego St on November 17, 2001 , Win , 166, to, 120

Completed Event: General versus UNLV on November 10, 2001 , Loss , 114, to, 117

Completed Event: General versus UNLV on November 10, 2001 , Loss , 89, to, 189.5

Completed Event: General at Oregon St on October 26, 2001 , Loss , 89, to, 116

Completed Event: General versus Utah St on October 23, 2001 , Win , 3, to, 1

Completed Event: General versus UNLV on November 10, 2000

Completed Event: General versus UNLV on November 10, 2000 , Loss , 82, to, 120

Nona Richardson Accepts Senior Associate Athletics Position at Utah

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