The NCAA governance department provides key support to the NCAA’s federated governance structure, which includes Divisions I, II and III, as well as Association-wide committees. The department works directly with the presidential bodies and various councils and committees that direct the affairs of each division, including proposing and sponsoring legislation; identifying options and recommendations on relevant policy issues; and preparing and distributing meeting agendas, supplements, meeting summaries and minutes.

The Division I governance intern primarily supports the work of Division I committees. The Division II governance intern primarily focuses on the division’s marketing and communications initiatives. The Division III governance intern focuses on supporting the division’s committees, branding, marketing and educational programs. The governance and policy intern supports Association-wide committees, committee administration and Transfer Portal activities.

Interns also attend council and committee meetings, engage with committee members and various other constituents within the broader membership, prepare reports and attend and take an active role at the annual NCAA Convention.

Interns who have worked in the governance department have gone on to work in campus compliance, student-athlete development, admissions and fundraising, as well as conference offices, coaches associations, the NCAA national office and professional sports governing bodies. They include:

• Ashley Beaton Simpson (2019), assistant athletic director for student-athlete success, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. 
• Kiana Verdugo (2019), interim director of athletics, Alma College.
• Eric Wood (2003), senior deputy athletics director/external relations and business development, University of Mississippi.

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Job Description: Governance (four positions)

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General position summary: As a primary function, this position is responsible for assisting the assigned Association-wide or divisional governance staff in supporting the membership’s decision-making bodies (with emphasis on Association-wide and divisional presidential bodies, divisional councils and Student-Athlete Advisory Committees).

Association-wide and division-specific summary: Association-wide governance and each of the three divisions will be assigned one intern for the duration of the internship year. All four internships have unique responsibilities as outlined in the essential duties below. In summary:

• The Association-wide governance and policy internship supports the NCAA’s Association-wide governance and policy operations, with a focus on the NCAA Board of Governors, Association-wide committees and executive programming.
• The Division I internship focuses on supporting the work of Division I committees.
• The Division II internship largely focuses on the division’s marketing and communications initiatives.
• The Division III internship focuses on supporting Division III committees, marketing, communications and educational programs.

Next steps for governance interns: Former interns in this role have accepted jobs at the NCAA national office, on campus (admissions, academic advising, campus fundraising, compliance), conference offices, coaches associations and professional sports governing bodies.

Desired knowledge, skills and abilities: Strong written and oral communication skills, detail-oriented, strong organizational skills, strong analytical skills, ability to multitask and work independently, ability to collaborate with other NCAA departments and external stakeholders. Knowledge of NCAA rules will be considered favorably.

Essential duties:

• Assist Association-wide governance or each division in a primary capacity:
  • Attend prep meetings, conference calls and quarterly governance group meeting
  • Attend annual NCAA Convention and complete duties, as assigned.
  • Other duties as assigned by Association-wide governance or each division

Association-wide:

Board of Governors support: 

• Assist with meeting preparation, communication and tracking related to the NCAA Board of Governors and its initiatives.

Committee administration:

• Maintain and update Association-wide and divisional committee rosters and leadership records in the NCAA’s internal systems.

Presidents and chancellors programming:

• Support the planning and execution of the NCAA’s Presidents and Chancellors Program, including in-person and virtual sessions.

Correspondence and communication:

• Contribute to maintaining high-level governance communications, including Board of Governors correspondence.

Committee observation: 

• Attend and take notes in Association-wide and other governance committee meetings to support cross-divisional coordination.

Special projects: 

• Assist with research, analysis or resource development projects based on emerging priorities or strategic needs.

Division I:

• Attend Division I governance meetings.
• Assist with preparation of meeting materials, PowerPoints, key takeaways and reports.
• Assist the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, student-athlete subcommittees and staff liaisons.
• Assist other Division I governance committees, as assigned based on intern interests.
• Assist with updating the Division I governance home page and committee pages on the membership side of ncaa.org.
• Assist with development and maintenance of communication strategy for internal and external communications.
• Assist in the development of Division I online education modules.
• Assist with managing the Division I membership tracker.
• Assist with Salesforce communications and maintaining Salesforce data extensions.
• Assist with developing educational resources for use by national office staff and institutional personnel.
• Facilitate and present on Division I topics to various membership groups.
• Assist the vice president, managing director, directors and associate director of Division I in other projects as assigned.

Division II:

Communications and marketing:

• Assist with the development of social media content plans for Division II championships and manage the training of contractors hired to execute the plans on-site.
• Assist with the planning, promotion and execution of Division II Day.
• Attend meetings, offer feedback and assist in the activation of the division’s “Make It Yours” brand enhancement.
• Create and update graphics for social media using Adobe Photoshop.
• Help lead and execute Division II’s social media strategy by managing the division’s X, Instagram and Facebook accounts.
• Maintain the Adobe Creative Cloud logo library that includes Division II conferences and schools.
• Write the division’s monthly newsletter.

Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee:

• Serve the Division II SAAC with the staff liaisons by attending quarterly meetings and through the planning and execution of the committee’s initiatives.
• Support Division II staff by preparing for and executing the annual Division II SAAC Super Region Convention.
• Write the SAAC meeting reports and takeaways.
• Write the biannual Division II SAAC newsletter.

Governance operations:

• Assist in the staff review of Division II Degree Completion Award applications.
• Assist with review of Division II Conference Strategic Priority Fund reports.
• Coordinate the Division II new committee member module assignment.
• Learn how legislation is proposed and how the Division II governance structure operates by attending meetings of Division II committees, Management Council, Executive Board and project teams.
• Learn how plans for the division are made by attending staff meetings and retreats.
• Manage the updates to the Division II staff directory document on ncaa.org.
• Serve on the planning team and help execute the NCAA Convention.
• Contribute to other projects as assigned by the Division II governance team.

Division III:

Resources and workbooks:

• Contribute to the production of Division III-specific educational resources and workbooks.
• Revise and produce the Division III Annual Report and Facts and Figures.

Governance-led programming:

• Assist with various Division III governance-led programs throughout the year, including Division III SWA Program, New Athletics Director Orientation Program, New Commissioner Orientation Program, Institute for Administrative Advancement, Student Immersion Program, Athletics Communicators Emerging Elite Program and more.
• Attend committee meetings and video conferences to become more familiar with the Division III governance process.
• Facilitate and present on Division III topics to various membership groups.

NCAA Convention:

• Assist with coordinating and executing various student-athlete and SAAC events (Student-Athlete Social Mixer, Special Olympics Unified Sports Activity, Student-Athlete Luncheon, etc.).
• Help prepare materials, attend meetings, assist programs and help with digital content related to Division III activities during the NCAA Convention.

Internal staff operations:

• Contribute to the Division III team by attending staff meetings, writing meeting summaries and reports, and engaging with staff to plan for the continued success of the division.

Communications and marketing:

• Assist with planning, promotion and execution of Division III Week celebration.
• Collaborate on updates and changes to the Division III webpages on ncaa.org.
• Engage in communication with membership groups, including presidents, directors of athletics, commissioners, student-athletes and other athletics administrators.
• Support Division III’s marketing and communication efforts, including assisting with drafting quarterly newsletters and execution of the social media content plan.

Additional projects:

• Attend professional development events, which may include a Division III championship and other conventions.
• Contribute to other projects as assigned by the Division III governance team.
• Organize and host national office visits with student groups from Division III institutions.

Association-wide and other departmental responsibilities for divisional governance interns:

• Attend Association-wide committee meetings, as assigned.
• Attend Association-wide internal governance group meetings.
• Attend academic and membership affairs legislative training sessions.
• Attend NCAA leadership development programming when appropriate (g., NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum).
• Serve on project teams within governance and other areas in the national office (g., FARA, CCA, EmergingLeaders Seminar).

*Applicants interested in Division I and III governance are typically also interested in the academic and membership affairs, Eligibility Center and enforcement internships. Applicants interested in the Division II governance internship could also be interested in the championships: digital and social media and communications: creative and digital internships.

Download the Governance job description.