Sarah Otey Named New UAA Commissioner; Succeeds Retiring Dick Rasmussen
After a nationwide search, the University Athletic Association (UAA) has named Sarah Otey as its next commissioner. She succeeds Dick Rasmussen, the only commissioner in the Association’s history, who is retiring after leading the Association since its inception in 1987. The search was led by Washington University Chancellor Andrew Martin and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Anna Gonzalez.
“Sarah brings with her the experience needed to lead the UAA in an exciting direction. I look forward to working with her as she builds on our strong tradition of excellence in Division III athletics. I am grateful for the members of the search committee and Parker Search for their work in ensuring a successful hiring process of our commissioner,” stated Chancellor Martin.
Otey has spent the past three years as commissioner of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC), where she became the second full-time commissioner in the conference’s history and the first woman to hold the post.
"Thanks to Chancellor Martin, Dr. Gonzalez and the rest of the search committee for trusting me to serve as the next leader of the University Athletic Association. I look forward to partnering with all eight institutions to build upon their history of success and leverage their academic reputations and unmatched competitive excellence,” Otey said. “I would also like to thank my colleagues in the Ohio Athletic Conference for their tireless work over the past several years. The OAC is led by talented and committed administrators and I will always be an OAC fan from afar."
She worked for the NCAA for nearly nine years, including positions as director of the NCAA’s Academic and Membership Affairs (AMA) and associate director of AMA for Division III. During her time as associate director for Division III, she was the NCAA liaison for the UAA, managed Division III interpretations and legislation, and served as a governance liaison to a variety of committees, including the NCAA Division III Management and Presidents councils.
“I could not be happier than with the selection of Sarah Otey as Commissioner of the UAA,” Rasmussen remarked. “She was our NCAA Membership Services staff liaison for several years during her time at the NCAA, and I’ve had the good fortune of working with her from time to time during her tenure at the OAC. Sarah will be a great fit and an exceptional leader.”
Otey played basketball and graduated magna cum laude from Division III Washington & Lee University with a degree in psychology. The two-time academic all-conference honoree went on to earn a Master of Education in exercise physiology from the University of Virginia.
With its inaugural season beginning during the 1987-1988 academic year, the UAA has continued to serve as a bold statement of what college athletics can and should be and has been a prominent figure in the NCAA landscape for nearly four decades. Members of the UAA have a shared belief in these main assumptions: academic excellence and athletic excellence are not mutually exclusive, athletic excellence is not to be confused with a win-at-all-costs attitude, and that athletic programs are not considered revenue centers.