Barbara Church, Senior Associate Commissioner
Associated Press
A member of the MAAC staff since 1990, Church is responsible for overseeing the areas of finance and compliance.
She coordinates all institutional legislative and enforcement issues and serves as a liasion between the MAAC's 10 member institutions and the NCAA Membership Services.
A 1971 graduate of Montclair State College, Church was a physical education instructor and coach at Terang High School in Victoria, Australia and later at Verona High School in New Jersey. She also served as field hockey coach and assistant to the sports information director at her alma mater.
Church moved onto Washington State University in 1977 where, as a graduate assistant, she supervised the intramural program and taught physical education classes. After earning her Master's degree, she returned to New Jersey to become the Associate Athletic Director at Saint Peter's College, where she served for 13 years.
Church is active on the state, regional, and national levels. She is the past president of the New Jersey Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (NJAIAW), and the Collegiate Athletic Administrators of New Jersey (CAANJ). She has served on numerous Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) committees, and also served terms on the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee and on the NCAA Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet.
In 1993, Church was inducted into the Saint Peter's College Hall of Fame and in 1997 was the recipient of the NJAIAW Special Achievement Award. In 1999, she received the Garden State Award from the CAANJ for her substantial and enduring contributions to the development of intercollegiate athletics in the state of New Jersey.
Church was selected as the recipient for the 2001 ECAC Katherine Ley Award. Established in 1983, this award is presented annually to honor a female athletics administrator who demonstrates the values and characteristics displayed by Katherine Ley through leadership ability, dedication to women's issues and presence as a role model for women in intercollegiate athletics.