UMass Boston Vice Chancellor Jacqueline Schuman Named 2026 NACDA Athletic Director of the Year
Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics at UMass Boston, Dr. Jacqueline Schuman, has been selected as a 2026 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Athletic Director of the Year Award Recipient.
The award spans seven divisions (NCAA FBS, FCS, Division I-AAA, II, III, NAIA/Other Four-Year Institutions and Junior College/Community Colleges).
Criteria for the award include service as an AD for a minimum of five academic years; demonstration of commitment to higher education and student-athletes; continuous teamwork, loyalty, and excellence; and the ability to inspire individuals or groups to high levels of accomplishments.
Schuman is among four Division III athletic directors honored for this and the only female Division III athletic director.
"I am humbled and honored to receive this prestigious award from NACDA, an organization that I grew up in and learned from at an early point in my career in college sports," Schuman said. "For me, this award speaks to the importance of exercising resilience through challenges in leadership and the path to leadership by having the courage to always keep core values at the forefront of decision making. It also speaks to the importance of focusing on efforts to support the ways that student- athletes, coaches, and those we lead reach their greatest potential and how important the relationships and team around us are to help us achieve these goals. I can’t wait to celebrate with the NACDA team and my incredible peer athletic directors who also received this award.”
Under her leadership, UMass Boston Athletics and Recreation has experienced historic growth and innovation, highlighted by eight Little East Conference (LEC) Championships, 12 NCAA Appearances, and three Individual National Track and Field Championships, the highest GPA in over 10 years (3.30), and the introduction of a collaborative, sport science driven Holistic Performance Program.
- Led the creation of "Advancing the Legacy of Excellence" (2022–2027), the department's strategic plan built in alignment with the university's For The Times strategic plan and priorities.
- Secured New Balance as the official apparel partner of UMass Boston Athletics
- Introduced a sport science driven Holistic Performance Program including a collaborative and integrated team approach to care, performance outcomes and recovery. Components include sport performance coaching, sports nutrition education and fueling station, athletic training, sports medicine and physical therapy, strength and conditioning, sport science, and mental health support.
- Directed over $13 million in capital projects, including an $8+ million renovation of the Clark Athletic Center and $5+ million turf softball field project, one of the only Division III softball facilities of its kind in New England
- Tripled the annual capital budget with nearly $1.2 million in improvements
- Increased the department's overall budget by 14.6%
- Launched the first-ever Beacons Day of Giving, surpassing 1,000 donors and over 450 alumni gifts
- Established the Mac Singleton Fund, an endowment to support the advancement of women's athletics
- Opened the Dan Rea '70 Boston State College Varsity Training Room, a 3,300-square-foot facility for student-athletes
- Added Women's Lacrosse in 2023–2024, and Field Hockey in 2025–2026
- Improved academic success efforts leading to the highest cumulative GPA for the department in over 10 years with a 3.30 in Academic Year, 2024-2025.
- Achieved the best finish in the LEC Commissioner's Cup (competitive success) in over 5 years.
- Welcomed over 5,000 unique campus members into Recreation programs and reestablished the Waterfront Recreation Program
Winners will be recognized in conjunction with the 61st Annual NACDA & Affiliates Convention at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the beginning of the Association-Wide Featured Session on Tuesday, June 9.
About NACDA: Now in its 61st year, NACDA is the professional and educational Association for more than 24,000 college athletics administrators at more than 2,300 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. NACDA manages 19 professional associations and four foundations. In addition to virtual programming, NACDA hosts and/or has a presence at seven major professional development events in-person annually. The NACDA & Affiliates Convention is the largest gathering of collegiate athletics administrators in the country. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.