Dr. Calli Sanders, whose oversight responsibility for the Cyclone athletics department includes 15 sports, joined the staff in 2003. The Senior Associate Athletics Director for Sports Administration is also the school’s Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) and liaison with the Athletics Council.

The Cyclones continue to make steady gains on the field of play and two of Sanders’ sports – women’s basketball and volleyball – had noteworthy seasons a year ago. Each program advanced to the Elite Eight of their national tournaments and ranked among the country’s best programs in their respective polls.

Sanders’ athletics administrative career began at Alabama-Birmingham (1988-96), where she served as the SWA, compliance coordinator and associate sports information director before promotions to assistant and then associate athletics director. She was instrumental in helping UAB establish Division IA football and women’s soccer programs and creating the school’s first compliance and academic advising programs.

Sanders returned home to her native state of Montana in 1997, serving as associate A.D. at Montana State until 2001. She supervised nine sports and four departmental units for MSU. She was then Associate Dean of Students at Maine (2002-03) before coming to Ames.

Among her many assignments with national committees, she served on the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee (1999-2001) and chaired the West Regional advisory and site selection committees. She directed several NCAA tournament rounds and assisted with operations of the 2000 and 2001 Final Fours.

Sanders is a peer reviewer for the NCAA certification program and is on the editorial board of Athletic Management magazine. At the conference level, she has served on committees for television, legislation, ethical conduct and gender equity.

Sanders has an undergraduate degree in communications from Montana (1986), a master’s in education from UAB (1990), and a doctorate in higher education administration from Montana State (2004). She also completed coursework at the Sports Management Institute’s executive program in 2002.

Calli and her husband, Rick, have three children: Theisen, Jack and Molly.