MISSOULA – University of Montana senior associate athletic director Jean Gee has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Council. Gee will hold the seat that represents the Big Sky Conference, taking over for former Eastern Washington athletic director Bill Chaves, who was placed on the council just last month. Gee will serve the last few months of Chaves’ term before beginning a three-year term of her own.
Gee says the transition comes at an odd time with most of the work for the year already being discussed, but is confident she can still make an impact.
“I feel really confident in my ability to look through proposals, get the feedback from all of the administrators within the conference and get into that room and have those discussions and vote appropriately,” said Gee.
The NCAA Division I Council is made up of 40 members: a representative from each of the NCAA’s 32 Division I conferences, four commissioners, two student-athletes and two faculty athletics representatives. Gee will have a number of duties, mainly focused on reviewing and discussing proposals before voting on them.
Gee served on the old NCAA legislative council and believes that experience and her time at UM has prepared her accordingly.
“Having that experience with how the rules work, they’re not always clear cut, and trying to navigate those takes experience, it’s not something you learn in school, and so I think just by sheer doing it for so long that will help me tremendously in that room,” said Gee.
Gee also added that she does represent the entire Big Sky Conference, but it is a big deal for the University of Montana as well.
“Certainly to have someone there from the University of Montana is very prestigious and a very good rep of our school and the state of Montana,” she said.
