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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner Beth DeBauche was the featured speaker for Tennessee Tech's female student-athletes Wednesday evening, her presentation the latest event in the Dr. M. Dianne Murphy Female Student-Athlete Leaders for Life Program at TTU.
DeBauche, named in 2009 as the seventh Commissioner of the Ohio
Valley Conference, is one of just four women currently heading up
Division I conferences nationwide and one of just nine female
Division I commissioners all-time.
She spoke to a gathering of more than 120 student-athletes and
administrators, presenting a variety of issues and discussing the
expanded opportunities that Tech's female student-athletes
will enjoy because of their competition in intercollegiate
athletics. She talked about professional and personal directions
and how lessons learned through teamwork will serve them in their
future lives.
Under DeBauche the league has started an extensive strategic
planning initiative. In addition student-athletes in the OVC have
also continued to achieve high levels of success not only on the
field but also in the classroom. In 2009-10 the league had an
all-time high number of honorees on both the OVC Commissioner's
Honor Roll and the OVC Medal of Honor lists. During the past two
years 23 OVC student-athletes have been named CoSIDA Academic
All-Americans.
DeBauche currently serves on the NCAA Committee on Athletic
Certification and the NCAA Division I Leadership Council.
From August 2002 through August 2009 DeBauche, along with the
vice-president of Division I, was responsible for coordinating
Division I initiatives through the NCAA governance structure, as
well as helping to manage the Division I agenda. Her duties
included developing agendas and providing leadership for the
Division I Board of Directors, Presidential Advisory Group and the
Leadership Council. DeBauche has overseen the entire Division I
governance structure and worked directly with the Legislative
Council, the six cabinets and the supporting communications and
coordination committee.
DeBauche received her Bachelor of Arts degree in history and
government from Saint Mary's College (Ind.) and earned her Master's
Degree in communications from Notre Dame. After completing the
Concannon Program of International Law in London, England, DeBauche
received her Juris Doctorate from the Notre Dame School of Law.
A member of the Illinois, Wisconsin and Georgia Bar, following law
school graduation DeBauche worked as an attorney in each Green Bay,
Atlanta and Marietta, as well as serving as a Judicial Clerk to P.
Harris Hines, who is currently serving on the Georgia Superior
Court.
DeBauche has been a member of the Notre Dame Club of Indianapolis
Board of Directors, as well as a graduate of the Sports Management
Institute and a participant in the Division I-A Athletic Directors
Institute. She is a board member with the Nashville Sports Council
and active in the Nashville Rotary.
Murphy, a former Tennessee Tech student-athlete who has gone on
to become one of America's most respected collegiate athletics
administrators, announced the establishment of the Dr. M. Dianne
Murphy Female Student-Athlete Leaders for Life Program at Tennessee
Tech in 2006. The program provides mentoring and networking
opportunities for female student-athletes at Tennessee Tech with
successful female role models. The Leaders for Life Program
features keynote addresses by women in the sports industry and
women in leadership positions, as well as social networking
opportunities.
Murphy, currently the Director of Athletics at Columbia
University, is a two-time graduate of Tennessee Tech, earning
bachelor's (1972) and master's (1973) degrees in health and
physical education. While enrolled at Tech, Murphy was actively
involved with the TTU athletics program, as a student-athlete in
three sports (basketball, tennis and volleyball) and as a graduate
assistant coach (women's basketball). In 2005, she earned the
school's distinguished alumni award for her professional
achievements.
Tech president Dr. Bob Bell (above) was in attendance |
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