INDIANAPOLIS --- Robert Vowels, currently the commissioner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, has accepted a position at the National Collegiate Athletic Association as Vice President for Education Services. Vowels will assume his new duties August 1 at the NCAA national office.

 In his new position, Vowels will work with NCAA national office leadership and association membership to develop and enhance education and outreach programs designed to address student-athlete leadership development, gender issues, health and safety and sportsmanship issues. Vowels will also serve as the primary NCAA administrator for youth outreach services and oversee the NCAA’s drug-testing program. He will report to Bernard Franklin, NCAA senior vice president for governance, membership, education and research services.

“Robert brings a wealth of experience in intercollegiate athletics at both the institutional and conference levels and we are excited he is joining the NCAA team,” said Franklin. “He has an impressive record of performance in a variety of NCAA governance bodies, including the Division I Management Council and the Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee.”

NCAA President Myles Brand praised Vowels’ leadership on important Association initiatives and in intercollegiate athletics. “The NCAA membership and national office is most fortunate to be able to attract Robert Vowels,” Brand said. “He is a proven leader and a person of broad experience within intercollegiate athletics.”

For his part, Vowels is ready to get started.

“I’m really excited to join the NCAA staff and I’m looking forward to the challenge of leading a highly successful education services function to the next level,” said Vowels. “Developing education programs addressing student-athlete health and well being, as well as mentoring programs aimed at future student-athletes are critically important and have an impact on our youth for years to come.”

Vowels joined the Southwestern Athletic Conference as commissioner in 2003. In that capacity, he oversaw the day-to-day operations of the office, administered and enforced conference legislation, issued rules interpretations and managed 18 conference championships, among other duties. His accomplishments include negotiating multi-year football, basketball and Olympic sports television agreements with ESPN. Additionally, he revised the SWAC corporate partner program and implemented an integrated program involving television, marketing and promotions, Internet, public relations, print publications and sponsorships.

He was also commissioner of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) from 2000-02, where he oversaw the expansion of the conference to 11 institutions and negotiated the first multi-year SIAC football and basketball television agreement with Urban Sports and Entertainment. Vowels also negotiated SIAC’s first licensing and agreement program and developed the conference’s first corporate partnership program.

Vowels’ 16-year career in intercollegiate athletics also included positions as associate commissioner for the Big 10 Conference and as assistant director of athletics at Vanderbilt University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University and a Juris Doctorate from North Carolina Central University.

With Vowel’s appointment also comes some restructuring within the education services group. Health and safety will be a new stand alone unit within education services and will include the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program. Additionally, The NCAA Hall of Champions, located adjacent to the NCAA national office in Indianapolis, will be realigned under the national office’s branding and communications group.