Women Leaders in College Sports has named UWM Director of Athletics Amanda Braun as its NCAA Division 1 Nike Executive of the Year.
The award recognizes significant contributions and administrative excellence in intercollegiate athletics. Braun has led Panther Athletics since 2013, and she recently celebrated the opening of UWM’s new basketball-specific practice facility, the Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin Center.
“I am honored to be selected for this award and believe that leadership is very much a team sport,” Braun said. “We achieve great things within Panther Athletics because of the incredible people working every day to support our student-athletes, our university and our community, and I share this recognition with all of my teammates within our Athletics Department. I am grateful to Women Leaders in College Sports for this honor and truly appreciate all that this wonderful organization does to grow and support leaders in college sports.”
Braun has led Panther Athletics through a sustained period of academic, athletic and fundraising success. UWM student-athletes have recorded a GPA of 3.0 or better for 46 consecutive semesters. And since the 2013-14 athletic season, UWM has posted eight top-four finishes in the Horizon League’s all-sports McCafferty Trophy standings.
“We are delighted that Amanda has been recognized by such a prestigious organization for the transformative work she’s accomplished,” UWM Chancellor Mark Mone said. “Her commitment to our student-athletes shines through in their collective competitive and academic successes. She is a leader in every sense of the word and is an exemplar for others to follow in college athletics.”
Braun will be honored at the Women Leaders National Convention, which takes place Oct. 8-10 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Women Leaders recognizes the achievements and success of women working in sports, and the organization believes that celebrating these accomplishments plays an important role in advancing women in sports. Award-winners are nominated by their peers and selected by the Women Leaders Awards Committee.