University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt’s Heather Lyke Named NACDA 1st Vice President
8/14/2024 2:37:00 PM | General
PITTSBURGH—In a continuing trend of leadership role appointments that impact the larger world of collegiate athletics, Heather Lyke has been named 1st vice president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the organization announced.
Entering her eighth year as director of athletics at the University of Pittsburgh, Lyke's leadership of the Panthers has garnered national attention and praise. Simultaneously, her influence beyond Pitt has been equally impressive.
"It is an honor to represent the University of Pittsburgh in this role and have the opportunity to work with colleagues across the country in advancing NACDA's efforts to provide educational and professional networking opportunities," Lyke said. "Our organization is dedicated to creating platforms for dialogue as we work together to navigate and shape the future of college athletics."
In addition to her NACDA appointment, she has represented Pitt and the ACC on various national committees. For the past five years, she served as the ACC's representative on the NCAA Division I Council, a high-level group responsible for decision-making that shapes the future for all of Division I Athletics.
Lyke also served as Chair of the ACC Director of Athletics group and the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee. She served on the Executive Committee and as President for the FBS athletic director organization LEAD1.
Additionally, Lyke is on the Board of Directors for Women Leaders for College Sports.
Her work at Pitt has earned national recognition. NACDA honored her as a 2023 Cushman & Wakefield AD of the Year Award recipient. She additionally was a finalist for the 2023 Sports Business Journal Athletic Director of the Year award.
Pitt Athletics kicks off another year of exciting competition this month with the Panthers' football, volleyball, soccer and cross country teams opening their seasons.
About NACDA
Now in its 60th year, NACDA is the professional and educational Association for more than 23,000 college athletics administrators at more than 2,200 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. NACDA manages 18 professional associations and four foundations. In addition to virtual programming, NACDA hosts five major professional development events in-person annually. The NACDA & Affiliates Convention is the largest gathering of collegiate athletics administrators in the country. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.
