Northwestern State AD Burke appointed to NCAA Women’s Basketball Committee

NATCHITOCHES – In his nearly quarter century as the director of athletics at Northwestern State, Greg Burke has kept a keen eye on each of his department’s intercollegiate teams and their standing regionally and nationally.

That background and wide-ranging focus should serve Burke well as he begins a five-year appointment on the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee, a tenure that will begin Sept. 1, 2020 running until Aug. 31, 2025.

In 2020-21, Duke Senior Deputy Director of Athletics and Administration Nina King will chair the committee, which has nine of its 10 spots currently filled. The lone opening will be filled by an Ohio Valley Conference representative.

“It is an honor to represent Northwestern State University and the Southland Conference on the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee,” Burke said. “This appointment is a responsibility that I will embrace with dedication, integrity and passion. I look forward to a collaborative journey with committee chair Nina King and my fellow committee members which will culminate with the Women’s Final Four in San Antonio next April.”

Burke’s appointment to the committee adds another bullet point to a career that has been filled with service to the NCAA. Burke concluded a four-year run on the NCAA Committee on Academics in 2019 and previously has been a part of the NCAA Championships and Sports Management Cabinet and the NCAA FCS Football playoff selection committee.

“It is a tremendous honor and privilege for Greg Burke to be appointed to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Committee,” said Northwestern State President Dr. Chris Maggio. “He will provide valuable insight to the selection process and be an extremely effective representative of the Southland Conference in this capacity. He is a tireless advocate for women’s athletics and being selected for this role shows the respect Greg has earned nationally.”

The committee’s responsibilities includes yearly selection, seeding and bracketing of the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship 64-team tournament field that occurs after committee members prepare by participating in regional advisory committee calls, attending in-person meetings, participating in meetings/teleconferences and viewing hundreds of games.

Committee members are also involved in site selection (including first and second rounds, regional round and Women’s Final Four), championship operations and games management, championship misconduct issues and championship game official selection and advancement.

“All of us in the Southland Conference are proud of Greg Burke’s appointment to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee,” said Southland Conference Commissioner Tom Burnett. “He’s a passionate leader, a strong advocate for women’s basketball and is always focused on the well-being of student-athletes. He’ll be a fantastic addition to the committee.”

2020-2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Selection Committee Roster
• Deneé Barracato, Deputy Director of Athletics for Operations & Capital Projects, Northwestern University
• Ceal Barry, Deputy Athletics Director, University of Colorado, Boulder
• Greg Burke, Director of Athletics, Northwestern State University
• Marcy Girton, Chief Operating Officer, Auburn University
• Jill Shields, Deputy Athletics Director/SWA, Kansas State University
• Nina King, Senior Deputy Director of Athletics/Administration, Legal Affairs and Chief of Staff, Duke University (Committee chair)
• Beth Goetz, Director of Athletics, Ball State University
• TBD, Ohio Valley Conference
• Debbie Richardson, Senior Associate Commissioner, Atlantic 10 Conference
• Tamica Smith Jones, Director of Athletics, University of California, Riverside