Wilmington, N.C. - This year, the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) will honor
Dr. Donnis Thompson of University of Hawai'i, Manoa, as one of its five 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients. Joining Dr. Donnis Thompson are four other very special women, each of whom has provided outstanding leadership in intercollegiate athletics, they include Dr. Tina Sloan Green
(Temple University), Dr. Leanne Grotke-Andreas
(California State University Fullerton), J. Elaine Hieber
(Iowa State University), and Dr. Katherine Ley
(posthumously) (Capital University).
“We can not convey enough special recognition to the women who have been the foremother of intercollegiate athletics. NACWAA is privileged to honor these women as Lifetime Achievers for their dedication to enhancing opportunities for all women,” said Jennifer Alley, Executive Director.
Dr. Donnis Thompson served as the Women's Athletics Director for the University of Hawai'i at Manoa from 1972-1981, pioneering the commencement and tremendous growth of women's intercollegiate athletics in Hawai'i.
As a part-time employee and a professor, Dr. Thompson implemented her “vision of excellence” and the program began with two sports, one scholarship, and a budget of $5000. Leveraging the 1972 Title IX mandate, Thompson quickly and effectively sought and received an additional $60,000 from Hawai'i Legislation, permitting an increased sponsorship of seven sports for female student athletes. Also, in 1976, Thompson spearheaded a committee that brought in women's volleyball powerhouse UCLA and remarkably sold out Hawai'i's Neil Blaisdell Center with a crowd of 7,813.
Working along the mantra of “Anything worth having is worth having now,” women's athletics at the University of Hawai'i erupted and established its place on the national scene. Dr. Thompson led the Wahine Athletic Department at the University of Hawai'i until 1981, when she took a leave of absence to lead the Hawai'i Department of Education as the state's first female Superintendent of Education. In only three years at the head of Hawai'i state education, Dr. Thompson had authored a 10-year improvement plan for state- titled A Vision of Excellence; implemented early provisions for school success for kindergartners who now exceeded national standards, obtained a federal grant for a bilingual multicultural center for Hawaiian and American-Samoan students, teamed up Hawai'i hotels with local high schools and established relationships with IBM to promote computer literacy and curriculum development.
Through Dr. Thompson's hard work and tireless efforts, the University of Hawai'i now offers participation opportunities for nearly 200 female student-athletes, sponsoring twelve sports, over half of a million dollars in scholarship money and a budget of $4 million.
Dr. Thompson was an active participant in the Hawai'i State Civil Rights Advisory Committee, the American Cancer Society Public Relations Committee, the Board of Directors of the Teen Intervention Committee at Kapiolani Medical Center and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday commemoration in Hawai'i. She also served as the national chairperson of the AIAW track and field committee, the Southwest District Division of Girls' and Women's Sports chairperson, the DGWS national track and field chairperson, and the Coach of USA Track and Field in 1962. Most recently, Dr. Thompson has served as a representative of AARP; and relocated from Honolulu to Palm Desert, California.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to athletics administrators who have dedicated their professional careers to advancing women in sport. Because of their tireless efforts, girls and women participating in sport truly can enjoy competitive athletics or athletic career opportunities. The 2008 Lifetime Achievement and Legacy Award Luncheon, sponsored by NIKE, will be held on Sunday, October 12, 2008, beginning at 12:30 PM at the NACWAA National Convention in Atlanta, GA at the CNN Omni Hotel.
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About National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators
Founded in 1979, National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA;
www.nacwaa.org) is the only nationally recognized collegiate professional membership organization whose mission is to enhance and promote opportunities for women in intercollegiate athletics administration. NACWAA with nearly 2,000 members promotes the growth, leadership, and success of women as athletics administrators, conference commissioners, professional staff, coaches and student-athletes. It is a not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to providing education al programs, professional and personal development opportunities, information exchange, and support services to enhance collegiate athletics.
