INDIANAPOLIS – New Orleans Deputy Athletic Director/Chief Operating Officer
Dena Freeman-Patton will participate in the 2020-21 NCAA Division I Pathway Program. The NCAA Pathway Program selects 20 senior-level administrators to participate with the goal of preparing to attain positions as Athletic Directors or Conference Commissioners. It is a yearlong program.
FROM DENA FREEMAN-PATTON
"I am excited to have been chosen to participate in such a transformational program. I hope to make #NOLAsTeam proud."
FROM DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS TIM DUNCAN
"The Pathway Program has become a premier gateway for senior athletics administrators to advance toward becoming Athletic Directors. I am thrilled the NCAA recognized Dena as being among the top administrators in the country, something we have all witnessed since her arrival at Privateer Nation. She will also add great experience to her cohort of Pathway classmates. This is a great day for #NOLAsTeam!"
Throughout the yearlong program, participants engage in a series of experiential learning opportunities focused on advancing them to the top role in an athletics department or conference, while building their skills to thrive in their current duties.
"The Pathway Program represents one of NCAA leadership development's most transformative offerings. Through investing in the development of those who coach, teach and lead them, we have a profound impact on the student-athlete experience through engaging participants in this marquee program," said DeeDee Merritt, director of leadership development. "This track record in achieving its intended outcome has resulted in the creation of a vast alumni pool populated with the most influential leaders in college sports."
"The 2020-21 Pathway cohort represents a diverse group of administrators who have demonstrated impressive leadership capabilities and potential to flourish as college athletics' next wave of capable decision-makers," Merritt said. "We are immensely excited to play a role in guiding these individuals along their professional journeys."
Over the past 22 years, the acclaimed Pathway Program (formerly the Fellows Program) has produced over 200 alumni. Fifty-five of those participants (over 25%) have become directors of athletics or conference commissioners, including 46 who identify as either minorities or females. The
2019 Pathway Program alone has produced five athletics directors since commencement of programming last June.
The 2020-21 NCAA Division I Pathway Program participants:
- Sarah Adams, deputy athletics director/senior woman administrator, Eastern Washington.
- Amy Calabrese, associate athletics director, Louisville.
- Dena Freeman-Patton, deputy athletics director/chief operating officer, New Orleans.
- Jessica Grasso, deputy commissioner, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
- Hank Harrawood, deputy athletics director, Winthrop.
- Farrah Manthei, deputy director of athletics, University of Illinois at Chicago.
- Mario Morris, deputy athletics director, chief financial officer for business operations, Notre Dame.
- Amy Olson, associate athletics director for administration/senior woman administrator, Howard.
- Trayvean Scott, deputy athletics director and chief operating officer, Southern University.
- Ike Ukaegbu, senior associate athletics director for compliance, TCU.
Freeman-Patton is in her first season on the Lakefront and is an executive staff member, overseeing facilities, capital projects, equipment and sports medicine while also serving as the sport administrator for men's basketball, beach volleyball and indoor volleyball. Named 2018 Administrator of the Year by Women Leaders in College Sports (WLCS), she is also actively involved with the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) and the Emerging Administrators Academy.
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