Parker Appointed NACDA President

The NACDA Board of Directors has appointed Pennie Parker, associate vice president of athletics, as the association’s president for the 2026–27 academic year. Parker will become just the second non-Division I athletics administrator to serve in the role.

Founded in 1965, NACDA serves more than 24,000 college athletics administrators at over 2,300 institutions across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The association provides professional development, manages 19 professional associations and four foundations, and hosts the nation’s largest annual gathering of collegiate athletics administrators.

Pennie Parker joined Rollins in 2002 and served as the director of athletics since 2006, and as the associate vice president of athletics since 2022, during which time she has led the Tars to an era of unprecedented success. She is just the second woman to serve as athletics director at Rollins, where she maintains the department’s stellar reputation both athletically and academically, while focusing on the College’s mission of creating global citizens and responsible leaders.

Since assuming leadership of the department, Parker has guided Rollins to three NCAA Division II National Championships, 22 Sunshine State Conference championships, 13 SSC Tournament titles, and five SSC Mayor's Cup All-Sport trophies. She has partnered with Advancement to establish seven endowed scholarships and secure funding to endow two head coaching positions.

In 2015, Parker was selected to serve on the NCAA Division II Management Council and was named chair of the council in 2018. She has also served on the Women Leaders in College Sports Board of Directors, including terms as secretary (2016–17) and treasurer (2017–18). Parker recently served on the NCAA Legislation Committee and currently serves on the NCAA Strategic Planning and Finance Committee. She joined the NACDA Executive Committee in 2015 and has served as the organization’s 1st and 3rd vice president.

Parker was appointed to the Division II Athletics Directors Association (ADA) Board of Directors in 2011 and served as president of the association during the 2016–17 academic year. Throughout her tenure, she served as the liaison to the NCAA Division II mentoring program and continues to support leadership development as the Division II liaison for the prestigious NCAA Pathway Program.

Her leadership has earned national recognition. Parker was named Under Armour Division II Athletics Director of the Year in 2013, 2017, and 2021, and in 2020 was selected as the Nike Administrator of the Year by Women Leaders in College Sports.

Parker has also elevated the department’s academic profile. Rollins earned the NCAA Division II President's Award for Academic Excellence for the 15th consecutive year in 2023. Since the NCAA began calculating the Academic Success Rate (ASR) in 2006, the Tars have led the Sunshine State Conference, earning the NCAA’s Division II President's Award for Academic Excellence for 15 consecutive years. During Parker’s tenure, Rollins student-athletes have maintained a combined GPA above 3.0, earned two NCAA Elite 90 Awards, received six NCAA postgraduate scholarships, produced two Fulbright Scholars, and celebrated 15 student-athlete valedictorians.

“It is a privilege to be part of the Rollins family,” Parker said. “I enjoy serving the student-athletes, coaches, faculty and staff, and continuing to enhance the tradition of academic and athletic success at the College.”