Barker Named CSU, Chico Athletic Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2005
CONTACT: Joe Wills
530-898-4143
Barker Named CSU, Chico Athletic Director
Anita Barker has been named director of intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports at California State University, Chico. Barker has been in the position as interim athletic director for the past three years.
The University conducted a national search for the post this spring. Barker was chosen from a pool of candidates representing athletic programs across the country.
“The University aspires to be the premier NCAA Division II program in the nation, especially in terms of the success of our student athletes both in the classroom and in the arena of intercollegiate competition,” said CSU, Chico President Paul Zingg. “Anita has demonstrated that she shares this goal and understands how to achieve it. As we increasingly look to private support for the resources we need to reach this goal, the University needs an athletic director who believes in the values of the institution and will ensure that our athletics program reflects and supports them. Anita is just such a person, and folks who share this vision will rally to it.”
The director of intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports oversees 13 men’s and women’s varsity intercollegiate teams, 15 sports clubs, 11 recreational clubs and a wide array of recreational programming servicing an average of 29,000 student participants annually. The athletic department has a staff of 45 with an annual operating budget of $3.1 million.
“I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to continue as director of athletics and recreational sports at Chico State,” said Barker. “We have set our sights high in the areas of athletic, academic and recreational sports success. I am confident that with the leadership of President Zingg and the support of the entire Chico community, we will accomplish our goal of becoming a perennial force at the conference and national level in all programs. I am pleased to stay on as a member of the Wildcat family and to continue to build on the winning tradition that has been created at Chico State.”
Prior to serving as interim athletic director, Barker was associate athletic director at CSU, Chico from 1997 to 2002. She was assistant athletic director from 1995 to 1997 and assistant athletic trainer from 1990 to 1995.
Barker is currently chair of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Administrative Committee and CCAA conference representative to the Division II Athletic Directors Association. She received her bachelor of arts degree in sports medicine from Ohio Northern University and master of science degree in exercise and sports sciences from University of Arizona.
In 2003-2004, CSU, Chico finished fifth among 282 NCAA Division II athletics programs in the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Directors’ Cup. With 10 of 13 intercollegiate teams reaching post-season play in the just-ended academic year, the Chico State Wildcats expect another top 10 standing in the 2004-2005 Directors’ Cup.
###