Northern Kentucky University welcomes new athletic director, Christina Roybal
Northern Kentucky University has selected Christina Roybal as the university’s next Vice President and Director of Athletics, effective July 1, 2022.
Roybal succeeds Ken Bothof, who announced his retirement earlier this year.
NKU will introduce Roybal at a press conference at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 5, at Truist Arena (formerly BB&T Arena).
Roybal comes to NKU from the University of Northern Iowa, where she has served as senior associate athletic director for sports administration since 2016. She also holds the title of senior woman administrator and deputy Title IX coordinator.
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In her role at Northern Iowa, Roybal serves as the primary administrator for 14 of the institution’s 17 sports, which includes being responsible for budget development, expenditure approvals, maintaining compliance within NCAA and Missouri Valley Conference regulations and standards, non-conference scheduling, and student-athlete conduct and welfare.
Roybal serves on the Missouri Valley Conference’s Long-Range Planning Committee, Sports Management Committee, and the MVC Joint Committee sports liaison to the swimming and diving and tennis coaches.
Prior to her tenure at UNI, Roybal served for 10 years at Fresno State, where she held a variety of roles including interim senior woman administrator and sport administrator for women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s tennis and the creation of a women’s water polo program.
Her service at Fresno State began as a group sales coordinator in 2005 before rising through the ranks to the assistant athletic director for administrative operations in 2015.
“We are at an exciting moment in our athletic department’s evolution, having achieved championship-level success, both on and off the field,” NKU president Ashish Vaidya said in a press release. “We are confident that Christina’s leadership and values will help elevate NKU Athletics and continue to build on the success we have experienced at the Division I level.”
NKU has 17 programs competing in Division I. Norse teams have reached the NCAA Tournament five times since becoming eligible in 2016, including women’s soccer (2016), women’s volleyball (2019) and men’s basketball (2017, 2019 and 2020).
Norse athletes have had 14-straight semesters with a cumulative, department-wide GPA of 3.20 or better and a current streak of eight-consecutive semesters of a GPA better than 3.37.
“I am very excited and honored to serve as Northern Kentucky University's vice president and director of athletics,” Roybal said. “I believe NKU is a special place where student-athletes will excel academically, athletically and can build engaging and lasting relationships with the community. During this transformational time in college athletics and higher education, this is a prime opportunity to build on the great work that has been done to this point and become a more prominent member within the region.”
Roybal holds a bachelor of arts in health, physical education, and recreation degree from Saint Mary’s College of California (2003), as well as a pair of master’s degrees from California State University, Fresno in kinesiology (2006) and business administration (2013).
She is an active member of National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA), Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA), and Women Leaders in College Sports (formerly NACWAA). She is a graduate of the Institute for Administrative Advancement and Leadership Enhancement Institute.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Northern Kentucky University names athletic director, Christina Roybal
