Elon Director of Athletics Dave Blank has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Leadership Council. Blank will complete his current term on the NCAA Championships/Sports Management Cabinet prior to beginning a four-year term with the leadership committee in September. He will represent the Southern Conference on the 31-member council, which is made up of one ambassador from each Division I conference.
The NCAA Leadership Council serves as an advisory board to the NCAA Board of Directors. The group identifies important issues that are critical to the future of Division I athletics while also providing expertise in defining appropriate action items. Several committees report to the Leadership Council on policy issues including the Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee, the Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct Committee, the Student-Advisory Committee, the Committee on Women’s Athletics and all NCAA cabinets.
Blank has served on the NCAA Championships Cabinet since 2008 and has also served as a member of the NCAA I-AA Governance and Football Issues Committees. In 2005, he received Gen. Robert R. Neyland Outstanding Athletics Director accolades from the All-American Football Foundation. Blank is completing his fifth year as the Director of Athletics at Elon, joining the Phoenix family in 2006 after spending six years in the same role at Drake University.