By Kevin McGinniss, Lisa Goddard McGuirk, and Jennifer Templeton
(August 12, 2026)
Leadership in intercollegiate athletics, particularly at the NCAA Division III level, plays a crucial role in shaping the student-athlete experience and institutional identity. Division III emphasizes student development, academic integration, and holistic growth. Despite this, little is known about how Division III athletic directors (ADs) develop as leaders. This study addressed that gap by asking: How do NCAA Division III ADs develop as leaders?
Leader development has been widely explored across business, education, and sports, with scholars often emphasizing traits, behaviors, and situational adaptability (Day et al., 2008; Day et al., 2014). However, in collegiate sports, leadership studies disproportionately focus on coaching or Division I administration, particularly examining leadership styles, organizational effectiveness, and career advancement among athletic administrators (Burton et al., 2009; Won et al., 2013). Research examining the leader development in Division III athletics is limited. Although leadership research in collegiate athletics is extensive, less is known about how athletic administrators develop as leaders within the Division III context. Models such as experiential learning theory (Kolb, 1984) and authentic leadership (Avolio & Gardner, 2005) provide useful frameworks but lack specificity regarding the unique developmental experiences of Division III athletic administrators. This study contributes by offering a grounded model derived directly from AD narratives.
Read how this relates to leadership development in coaches – Commentary: Applying Leadership Development Findings to Coach Development
The Study
This qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews with ten NCAA Division III ADs. Participants were purposefully selected for their breadth of experience and willingness to reflect on their leadership journeys. Purposeful criterion sampling (Creswell & Poth, 2018) was utilized to identify and contact potential participants who met the following criteria: currently served as a Division III AD, for a minimum of two full academic years.
The in-depth interview consisted of open-ended questions to capture lived experiences and the informal, interactive nature of the phenomenological process. This process captured individual experiences, opinions, and feelings and allowed interviewees to share any experiences they felt were relevant to their leader development as an NCAA Division III AD. This approach allowed the researcher to explore interpretative perspectives. Upon receiving consent, the virtual interview was both conducted and recorded digitally. Interviews ranged in length from 30 minutes and 7 seconds to 73 minutes and 3 seconds, averaging 53 minutes and 7 seconds per interview. Afterwards, interviews were transcribed, coded, and thematically analyzed.
Findings
Three primary themes emerged: environment, experience, and time. Subthemes within each primary theme further elucidated the leadership development process.
Theme 1: Environment
“Mentors are important. I think the ones that I’ve always admired are the ones that I learned through sport.” The environment – defined as the circumstances, conditions, and influences surrounding the individual – was a foundational theme. All ten participants emphasized the impact of organizational culture, autonomy, and interpersonal dynamics on their development as leaders.
- Support and Trust: ADs described the importance of psychological safety, affirming leadership, and being allowed to fail safely.
- Mentorship: Nine participants noted how mentors, both formal and informal, shaped their philosophies and decision-making. Mentorship was linked with professional growth and emotional resilience.
- Alignment: Participants highlighted the significance of alignment between personal values and organizational culture as critical to sustained growth as a leader.
Theme 2: Experience
“I think you learn through your experiences.” Participants development as leaders was largely described as being “learned by doing.” Participants recounted key moments where real-time decision-making, conflict resolution, and collaboration sharpened their leadership acumen.
- Learn-Do Cycles: Trial-and-error experiences, especially early in their careers, were crucial.
- Network: Informal peer networks served as sounding boards and sources of innovation.
- Alignment (revisited): Experience often confirmed or challenged the alignment between the individual and their institutional context.
Theme 3: Time
“Being an athletic director taught me patience.” Participants development as leaders was not instantaneous but unfolded over years of reflective practice.
- Perspective: Time allowed participants to develop broader perspectives and strategic thinking.
- Self-Awareness: Participants became more attuned to their strengths, weaknesses, and leadership style.
- Mentoring Others: Many ADs eventually transitioned from being mentees to mentors, completing a developmental cycle.
Discussion
The interplay among environment, experience, and time suggests that leader development in Division III is holistic, iterative, and context-driven. While mentorship and support catalyze early growth, it is the reflective experience over time that deepens capacity as leaders. Unlike top-down leadership models, this study underscores the emergent, intrapersonal, grounded nature of leader development in Division III.
The conceptual model below suggests that leader development is shaped by three interconnected factors: environment, experience, and time. Participants described how supportive environments, meaningful experiences, and reflection over time contributed to their growth as leaders. Together, these factors influenced how they developed perspective, self-awareness, and the ability to lead others.
Institutional implications include the need for intentional mentorship programs, supportive onboarding processes, and environments that promote psychological safety. Professional associations can also leverage these findings to tailor leader development initiatives specifically for Division III contexts.
Though this study was limited by its small sample size (N = 10), the results are critical because they offer nuanced, context-rich insights into the leader development of NCAA Division III ADs. The qualitative data reveal patterns and themes such as the influence of environment, mentorship, and experiential learning that are not easily captured through quantitative methods. These findings contribute to the limited body of literature on Division III athletic administration and leadership development, provide a foundation for future research, and may inform the creation of more intentional leader development pathways within collegiate athletics.
In sum, This study provided a unique contribution by grounding leader development in the lived experiences of NCAA Division III ADs. By centering environment, experience, and time as interrelated factors, it offers a model that can inform both research and practice. Future studies might explore longitudinal designs or comparative analyses across NCAA divisions to deepen understanding of athletic leader development.
Editor’s Note: All articles in Sport Coach America are authentic and original work by the author(s).
References
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Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Mentor. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mentor
NCAA. (2021). Facts and figures division III. https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/about/d3/D3_FactandFigures.pdf
Won, D., Bravo, G., & Lee, C. (2013). Careers in collegiate athletic administration: hiring criteria and skills needed for success. Managing Leisure, 18, 71-91. https://doi.org/10.1080/13606719.2012.742222
