15 Named to NCEA Advisory Board to Build Support For Collegiate Equestrian

Waco, Texas (March 17, 2015) – The National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) today announced the establishment of its National Advisory Board (NAB), to build awareness and support for the advancement of women’s equestrian to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship sport status.

“We appreciate the NCAA’s support for women’s equestrian programs through recognition as an emerging sport. This status has provided a wonderful opportunity for female collegiate equestrians to receive the same opportunities as all other NCAA student-athletes,” said Dr. Leah Fiorentino, executive director of the NCEA. “We look forward to working with the NCAA to position women’s equestrian in a positive light as we continue our efforts to expand the sport to a larger audience.

An emerging sport is a women’s sport recognized by the NCAA that helps schools provide athletic opportunities for women, sport sponsorship options for those schools and aids that sport in achieving NCAA championship status. NCAA recognized equestrian as an emerging sport in 2002. Right now approximately 800 women participate on collegiate equestrian teams across the nation.

“Every day we hear from parents – and even institutions with equestrian programs – that are being told NCAA equestrian is on its way out. That is far from the truth. The goal of the NAB is to reach out to the diverse equestrian stakeholders and set the record straight. NCAA Equestrian is alive and well and wue are working to expand the program to additional universities to provide even more opportunities for women,” said David May, corporate leadership at Luther King Capital Management and NAB member.

The NCEA will continue to provide guidance to the oversight of the sport of collegiate riding, while the NAB will focus on raising awareness and building cohesive industry support on the relevance and value of women’s equestrian.

“With the support from the NAB, our future looks even brighter as we work on a strategic plan to enhance awareness and build financial support for the sport,” said Fiorentino.

The NAB is committed to elevate and advance equestrian to the most sustainable and strongest of all NCAA women’s sports.

NCEA NAB members include:

• Kelly Chapman (Co-Chair), Equine Industry, AQHA/APHA

• David May (Co-Chair), Corporate Leadership, Luther King Capital Management

• Beth Cross, CEO and Co-founder, Ariat International

• Daniel Dienst, CEO , Martha Steward Living Omnimedia

• Kathanne Fowler, Founding Partner, Column Partners

• Chuck Fry, President, Vista Communities

• John Hill, Owner and Vice President, Emergency Radio Service, Inc.

• Todd Neiberger, CFO, Magpul Industries

• Tom O’Mara, Corporate Leadership, Cowen and Company

• Sue Padilla, Owner, MSPadilla Consulting, LLC

• Kassy Perry, President/CEO, Perry Communications Group, Inc.

• Tom Shilen, CFO, CBS News

• Karen Willis, Corporate Leadership, Equestrian

• Greg Williams, VP Finance, NCEA

• Leah Fiorentino, Executive Director, NCEA

For more information, please visit http://www.collegiateequestrian.com.

About the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA)

The National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA), a non-profit corporation, was created as a governing body to advance the sport of Equestrian for women at the collegiate level. In 1998, Equestrian was identified and adopted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Committee of Women’s Athletics (CWA) as an emerging sport for women at the Division I and II levels. The NCEA, in concert with the mission and vision of the NCAA, is committed to providing collegiate opportunities for female equestrian student-athletes to compete at the highest level, while embracing equity, diversity and promoting academic and competitive excellence.