Relieved of her duties as Pitt’s athletic director only 16 days ago, Heather Lyke is back in the game.
On Wednesday, Lyke was named acting president and chief executive officer of the FBS Athletics Directors Association, which represents athletics directors of the FBS’ 134 member schools.
The advocacy group was named LEAD1 Association before its name change. Lyke was formerly its board of directors chair. She will replace Tom McMillen, who served as LEAD1’s President and CEO since 2015 and previously announced he will step down Monday.
Along with the name and leadership change, the association will operate in affiliation with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), with changes made to its structure, meetings and membership dues, according to a news release.
“After gathering feedback for more than a year from our members, it was clear that we needed a new direction for LEAD1 in many ways, and our name change, affiliation with NACDA and the appointment of Heather demonstrates our strong desire to serve our members more effectively,” Warde Manuel, Chair of the FBS Athletics Directors Association and athletic director at the University of Michigan, said in a statement “I am grateful that Heather has accepted the role of Acting President and CEO, as she brings immediate credibility, broad experiences and demonstrated success as an athletics director to our organization.”
Lyke is a Michigan graduate.
“It is an honor and a privilege to step into this role and to serve an organization that has meant so much to me and so many other athletics directors,” Lyke said in a statement. “While I look forward to once again serving on a campus, I will pour my heart and soul into the Association to ensure a smooth transition within the NACDA family.
“While we are all competitors, the respect I have for my colleagues at our 134 member institutions is deep and the relationships we have formed are genuine. I am humbled by their trust in me to help lead our Association during this transition.”
“This is a transformational moment for our organization and our enterprise as a whole,” Desiree Reed-Francois, Vice-Chair of the FBS Athletics Directors Association and University of Arizona’s athletic director, said in a statement. “Heather knows our organization well and has been an influential voice as we have restructured. While I am confident that she will soon return to the seat as an athletics director, I appreciate her willingness to give her time and expertise now during this transitional period.”
“The evolution of LEAD1 to the new FBS Athletics Directors Association and joining the NACDA family comes at a pivotal time in our industry,” NACDA President Ross Bjork, athletic director at Ohio State. “The education, connection and resources that will be available to all FBS athletics directors as a result of this transition will make an immediate positive impact within the profession. We can and should continue to advocate for and strengthen college athletics through our positions as thought leaders on our campuses, in the FBS Athletics Directors Association and NACDA.”
