Southland welcomes Lindy Roberts-Ivy as Deputy Commissioner

Proven leader in sports administration to help guide resurgent conference

FRISCO, Texas – After more than 20 years of game-changing service to the University of Oklahoma Athletic Department, Lindy Roberts-Ivy is joining the leadership team at the Southland Conference in the role of Deputy Commissioner. Joining newly-appointed Commissioner, Chris Grant, Roberts-Ivy aims to help drive continuous growth and improvement for the Southland.

“Lindy is a legend in the world of sports administration, and we are delighted to add her incredible leadership, insight and experience to our team at the Southland Conference,” said Grant. “We’re making bold moves to capitalize on the emerging opportunities in college athletics and need the best talent onboard to ensure we’re fully serving our student-athletes and member schools.”

Roberts-Ivy served under renowned OU Vice President and Athletics Director Joe Castiglione since 2000 and brings a keen eye and steady hand to the challenges of guiding individual sports as well as overseeing championships and engaging on national issues through various boards. Whether she has driven essential renovation and capital projects or supervised coaches, Roberts-Ivy has developed a reputation as a consensus builder who gets results.

“Leaving a school that has empowered me to contribute at a high level was a tough decision, but there is something special happening in the Southland Conference,” said Roberts-Ivy. “The chance to help schools and their student-athletes navigate the evolving landscape of college sports in a conference with the Southland’s combination of tradition, agility and impact was simply too important to pass up.”

In her most recent role at the University of Oklahoma, Roberts-Ivy served as Senior Associate Athletics Director, where she guided the sport administrator program while overseeing women’s basketball, men’s and women’s gymnastics, and women’s soccer. She also played an integral role on the internal operations team while managing championships hosted on and off campus. She has been lauded for her impact as the (LOC) tournament director of the hugely successful Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City since 2003. In 2009, Roberts-Ivy received the Judith M. Sweet Commitment Award from the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators.

“Lindy has been a very valuable member of our administrative team and we’re very grateful for all she has done to enhance the experience for student-athletes, coaches and our broader community,” said Castiglione. “She has done an incredible job of enhancing our dynamic culture and contributing to our championship excellence. We’re confident she will positively impact the Southland Conference in her new role.”

Roberts-Ivy’s professional memberships include NACDA, Women’s Leaders in College Sports, and CEFMA. She is also on the Board of Directors for the Collegiate Women Sports Awards, which honors the top female athlete in each sport, as well as the prestigious Honda Cup awarded to the Top Female Athlete overall. She has participated in ongoing education efforts through her attendance of the Collegiate Athletic Operation Services Conference, the Big 12 Event Management Conferences, and the NACDA/Center for Spectator Sports Safety Security Management Forum.

A graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma, Roberts-Ivy received her Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in exercise/fitness management and her Master of Education degree with an emphasis in physical education. Roberts-Ivy and her wife, JJ, have two children.

About the Southland Conference
Founded in Dallas in 1963, the Southland Conference will be entering its 60th competitive season and celebrates the academic and competitive achievements of its member institutions and their student-athletes. Based in Frisco, Texas, the league now includes eight members in Louisiana and Texas and sponsors 19 NCAA Division I sports, with NCAA Championships automatic berths in 12 applicable team sports. The Southland Conference has won numerous national championships, including the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS title, and wins regularly in other sports in NCAA postseason play, including the 2021 Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. The Conference also features a newly-expanded agreement with ESPN Networks, broadcasting hundreds of competitions each year, and is represented in the national corporate sales marketplace by Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment. The Southland has also served as the host conference for the successful NCAA Division I FCS Championship Game in Frisco since 2011.