Jan. 31, 2008

Garden City, N.Y. - On Monday, March 3, the Adelphi University Title IX committee, in conjunction with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and The Panther Club, will host Judy Sweet, former NCAA Senior Vice President for Championships & Education Services as part of its educational speaker series. The event will take place in the Ruth S. Harley University Center Ballroom from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

"Adelphi University is extremely fortunate to have someone with Judy's reputation and legacy visit us on campus," said Adelphi Assistant Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator, Deneé Rivera-Barracato. "I am extremely excited and look forward to her visit as it will be an educational experience for me, our Title IX Committee, coaches, student-athletes and officials who will have an opportunity to meet her and hear her speak about Title IX and gender equity."

Sweet joined the NCAA in 2001 as Vice President for Championships and Senior Woman Administrator. In 2003, she was promoted to Senior Vice President for Championships and Education Services, a position she held until September 2006 when she retired from the NCAA. She returned to San Diego where she is doing consulting work nationally.

Prior to her work with the NCAA, Sweet served as the Director of Athletic at the University of California-San Diego from 1975-1999, where she became the first woman in the nation to head a combined men's and women's intercollegiate athletic program. During her tenure, UCSD teams won 26 NCAA National Championships and in 1998 received the Sears Directors Cup for being the most successful athletics program in Division III.

Sweet was elected to a two-year term as President of the NCAA in January 1991 and was the Secretary-Treasurer of the NCAA from 1989 to 1991, becoming the first woman to serve in each of those positions. Her other NCAA Committee service was extensive and includes the Subcommittee to Review Minority Opportunities in Intercollegiate Athletics, NCAA Foundation, and Gender Equity Task Force.

In 1992 the National Association of College Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA) named Judy Administrator of the Year. Other honors include The 1998 Honda Award for Outstanding Achievement in Women's Collegiate Athletics and 1998-99 NACDA/Continental Division III Athletic Director of the Year. In October 2006 Judy was named the first NACWAA Legacy Honoree and in 2007 she was named by the Institute for International Sport as one of the 100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America.

A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Judy is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She earned a Master's of Science Degree from the University of Arizona, Tucson and a Master's of Business Administration Degree from National University, San Diego.

For more information on this event, please contact Deneé Rivera-Barracato at (516) 877-4235.