Athletic Director Courtney Lovely has named Wispeny Ellis as assistant athletic director for compliance and student-athlete services, effective July 15.
“We’re excited to welcome Wispeny Ellis to the senior leadership team in Sailfish Athletics,” Lovely said. “Her professional experience at the national, conference and institutional levels across divisions made her an excellent fit to lead this very critical area of our athletics program. The University has an established culture of integrity and adherence to NCAA and Sunshine State Conference rules. I am confident that under Wispeny’s leadership our culture of compliance will be further enhanced and set the standard for other NCAA Division II institutions to model.”
Ellis joins PBA from the University of Arkansas, where she served in the Compliance Office and the Office of Student-Athlete Success. She worked closely with academic administrators to monitor student-athlete class attendance, create manuals and handle reports such as the SEC Honor Roll and Academic Progress Rate.
Ellis previously worked at Lynn University in Boca Raton as the director of athletic compliance and deputy Title IX coordinator. She oversaw NCAA eligibility certifications while monitoring the department’s recruiting, financial aid and playing and practice seasons. She chaired the NCAA Division II Committee for Legislative Relief and the NAAC Reasonable Standards Committee.
“In our quest for excellence in intercollegiate athletics and the development of an elite student-athlete experience, PBA seeks top-tiered talent for our athletic leadership team,” said University President William M. B. Fleming, Jr. “I am thankful to Athletic Director Lovely and the search committee for identifying Wispeny Ellis and recognizing how Sailfish athletes will benefit from her extensive experience and personal values.”
Ellis has worked for the Great Lakes Valley Conference, the NCAA Eligibility Center and a variety of other Universities. She received her bachelor’s degree in sports management from Texas A&M University and her master’s degree in sports administration from the University of North Texas.
