ODAC Title IX Talk: Seventh Feature

ODAC Title IX Talk: Seventh Feature Play Video
Posted: Feb 17, 2023

FOREST, Va. --- In our seventh feature of ODAC "Title IX Talk," we bring in some heavy hitters to discuss Title IX and its wide-ranging impacts on the collegiate landscape. Averett University Director of Athletics, Meg Stevens, leads a conversation with Louise McCleary, the Vice President for NCAA Division III.

McCleary has long been a champion of Division III since joining the NCAA in 2012 as the Director of Division III. She earned a promotion to Managing Director of Division III in 2017 and stepped in as Interim Vice President for Division III in February 2021 following the retirement of Dan Dutcher. The interim tag was removed from McCleary's title in April 2022 as she now serves as the Vice President for Division III.

A graduate of Division III member Wellesley College, McCleary got her start in Division III upper athletics administration at Vassar College before spending a decade at Elms College as the Blazers' Director of Athletics.

McCleary's impact on Division III cannot be understated. In addition to her charge in running the Division, McCleary has been a key figure in Division III leading the way in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts on a national scale. She has long been a supporter of the Athletic Communications community, receiving the Keith Jackson Eternal Flame Award in 2018 from then CoSIDA (now College Sports Communicators). McCleary is an adept leader evidenced by her steady hand in leading the Division forward following the NCAA's constitution restructuring.

Stevens is in her 10th year as the AD at Averett University and has led a transformational shift within the Cougars athletic department. Stevens has collaborated with faculty, student-athletes and staff to develop and strengthen a "3-2-1" philosophy that pushed Averett toward the top of the USA South Conference prior to becoming a full time member of the ODAC in July 2022. Under her direction, all teams strive to achieve a 3.0 grade point average, finish in the top two in the conference, and the entire athletics department works together as "one team."

A staunch advocate for the growth of women's roles in athletics, Stevens is currently on the Board of Directors for Women Leaders in College Sports as its President-Elect. Stevens, the 2020-21 Division III Athletics Director of the Year as selected by NACDA, will continue her term of service to Women Leaders through the 2024-25 academic year.

Stay tuned to the ODAC website and its feeds on social media platforms for future editions of Talking Title IX. Be sure to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.

To access any of the previous episodes of ODAC Title IX Talk, see the list below.

ODAC Title IX Talk Features

  • ODAC Title IX Talk: Eighth Feature
    April 21, 2023
    In our eighth feature of ODAC "Title IX Talk," we turn our focus to the officiating side of sports and talk about Title IX and its impacts on the referees, umpires, and judges that enforce the rules of our sports. Former Hollins University and Emory & Henry College director of athletics Myra Sims returns to lead a discussion with two of the ODAC's most experienced individuals in the officiating realm -- Vickie Van Kleeck and Melissa Wiggins.
  • ODAC Title IX Talk: Seventh Feature
    February 17, 2023
    In our seventh feature of ODAC "Title IX Talk," we bring in some heavy hitters to discuss Title IX and its wide-ranging impacts on the collegiate landscape. Averett University Director of Athletics, Meg Stevens, leads a conversation with Louise McCleary, the Vice President for NCAA Division III.
  • ODAC Title IX Talk: Sixth Feature
    January 26, 2023
    Our sixth edition of the ODAC's "Title IX Talk" feature series highlights individuals from four ODAC schools and the conference office as we talk to our biggest group yet. Four individuals from conference school's join Haley Overstreet, the ODAC Director of Championships, to discuss several topics surrounding their experiences with Title IX. Those joining Haley include Allison Nichols, the women's basketball head coach at the University of Lynchburg, Ashley and Melissa Smeltzer-Kraft, the head coaches for field hockey and women's basketball at Shenandoah University, respectively, and Bethany Dannelly, the current associate athletic director at Washington and Lee University and former ODAC Director of Championships.
  • ODAC Title IX Talk: Fifth Feature
    December 22, 2022
    Our fifth edition of the ODAC's "Title IX Talk" feature series focuses on Ferrum College. We take a look at Panthers trailblazer Donna Doonan and reflect on her legacy at Ferrum College and hear what those who worked alongside her have to say.
  • ODAC Title IX Talk: Fourth Feature
    November 22, 2022
    Our fourth edition of the ODAC's "Title IX Talk" feature series focuses on Guilford College. In this two-part installment, we look back at Quakers trailblazer Elizabeth Parker Haskins and talk with current Guilford volleyball head coach and Senior Woman Administrator Emily Gann.
  • ODAC Title IX Talk: Third Feature
    October 21, 2022
    Our third edition of ODAC "Title IX Talk" welcomes back former Emory & Henry College and Hollins University Director of Athletics, Myra Sims. She leads a conversation with Virginia Wesleyan University Executive Director of Athletics Emeritus, Joanne Renn, and Washington and Lee University Michael F. Walsh Director of Athletics, Jan Hathorn. The trio of colleagues and friends touch on several topics including the impacts of Title IX on their careers transitioning from coaching to athletic administration, how access to leadership positions for women has evolved, and importance of male support as they advanced their careers.
  • ODAC Title IX Talk: Second Feature
    September 22, 2022
    The ODAC's second edition of "Title IX Talk" features Randolph-Macon College field hockey head coach Jess Weiss and Washington and Lee University women's basketball assistant coach Erin Hughes. The two are joined in conversation with ODAC Director of Championships Haley Overstreet.
  • ODAC Introduces "Talking Title IX" Feature Series
    August 22, 2022
    The ODAC is proud to announce and release its first edition of a new feature series entitled "Talking Title IX" in commemoration of the 50 year anniversary of the passage by Congress of Title IX in 1972.

IMPORTANT NOTES AND IMPACTS OF TITLE IX

  • Title IX was passed by Congress and written into law by President Richard M. Nixon in 1972.
  • Title IX states that "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
  • Title IX has had many impacts, but five of the major benefits include:
    • equality in enrollment for educational courses
    • women pursue and earn more degrees
    • women become collegiate professors
    • more girls and women not only play more sports, but more coach and become athletic administrators
    • protection for pregnant women from blatant discrimination (removed from school, offered lesser courses)
    • women increased participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math)