Julie Bright has served as Iowa State’s Senior Associate Athletics Director for Administration since 2006. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Collegiate Athletics Directors Association (NACDA). 

Bright is the athletics department’s administrative contact with several major administrative units on campus (administration & finance, purchasing, human resources, controller, accounting, IT, etc.) and the Board of Regents. 

She oversees business services, human resources, equipment, information technology and video services for the Cyclones. During her Iowa State tenure, Bright was point person for multiple renovations at Jack Trice Stadium, construction of the Sukup Basketball Complex and Hilton Coliseum renovations, including Johnny’s.

Prior to ISU, Bright was the No. 2 athletics administrator at the University of Northern Iowa. She climbed from UNI-Dome Business Manager (1976-85) to Athletics Business Manager (1985-98) to Associate A.D. for Business & Licensing (1998-2002) to Senior Associate A.D. / Senior Woman Administrator.

Bright supervised the UNI business, ticket, marketing, compliance and media relations offices and had administrative responsibility for 18 sports. Additionally, she developed the department’s plans for continued fiscal and operational support and negotiated numerous contracts for competitions, telecasts and facility usage. 

She had a key role in the planning and financing of the McLeod Center and helped usher in women’s soccer as an intercollegiate sport.  She registered institutional and athletic trademarks, which continue to provide substantial royalties.

Bright has served as President of the College Athletic Business Managers Association (2001-02) and the Association of College Licensing Administrators (1999-2000). She was presented a 2002 Staff Excellence Award by the Board of Regents, was named Manager of the Year by CABMA in 2001 and earned a Gold Star Award from ACLA in 2001. She chairs the CABMA Awards Committee.

Bright earned a B.A. degree in business from Northern Iowa in 1975. She and her husband, Dave, have two children.