Nancy Olson Appointed as Faculty Athletic Representative

Nancy Olson, who serves as Faculty Program Coordinator for Sport and Recreation Management in the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship at NSU, has been appointed by President George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D. as the University’s NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative.

“Ms. Olson brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table, and is a great fit for this important role as NSU’s faculty liaison with the NCAA,” said NSU President Dr. George Hanbury. “She is dedicated to the university’s mission to develop our students’ skills so they are ready to enter the workforce on day one, and she is well respected both within the Huizenga College of Business as well as the athletics department.”

Also a current member of the NSU’s Athletic Advisory Council, Olson spent nearly 14 seasons with the Florida Marlins as the Executive Director of the Florida Marlins Community Foundation from 1999-2010. She began her tenure with the Marlins in December, 1996 as the Manager of Community Affairs, later being promoted to the Director’s role where she served from 1998-1999 before the appointment to Executive Director of the Community Foundation.

“It’s a great honor to be named NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative for Nova Southeastern University,” Olson said. “I look forward to promoting the physical and academic well-being of our student-athletes while providing oversight and advice regarding the administration of NSU’s intercollegiate athletics programs. Ensuring the academic integrity of the program while facilitating institutional control of NSU’s participation in intercollegiate athletics is a responsibility which I take seriously.”

Before joining the Marlins organization, Olson spent 11 years as the Assistant Operations Manager of Windjammer Barefoot Cruises (1985-1996). She was also the Director of Athletics at Florida International University from 1979-1985 and was a teacher, coach and Athletic Director with the Broward County School System from 1970-1979. Olson was just the second woman in the State of Florida to serve as a high school athletic director.

A native of Sidney, Ohio, Olson has received a wealth of recognition for her accomplishments. In April, 2002, she was inducted into the Sidney City Schools Hall of Honor. She was named Co-Mentor of the Year for the Broward County Schools in 2005 and Mentor of the Year for Women of Tomorrow, 2005-2006. She is a member of the 2005 Class of the First Ladies of Broward County and received the 2006 American Business Women’s Association Non-profit Leader of the Year Award. In 2008, she was recognized by the Davie-Cooper City Chamber of Commerce at their 2008 Women in Business Empowerment Luncheon. Olson was honored as one of the 100

Outstanding Women of Broward in 2009. She was named Adjunct Faculty of the Year at the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship in 2013. In the spring of 2015, she received the first ever Faculty Appreciation Award from the student-athletes at NSU. She was the Sunshine State Conference candidate for the NCAA Division II Faculty Award and was one of four finalists for the honor. There are 307 active member institutions and 24 conferences in Division II.

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