Richardson Added To Redbird Athletics Senior Staff

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State Director of Athletics Kyle Brennan has added another important piece to his senior staff, with the addition of 30-plus-year athletics administration veteran Nona Richardson as Executive Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Excellence on Monday.

In her role with ISU, Richardson will provide oversight to all student-athlete related operations within Redbird Athletics including, but not limited to, providing leadership for the academics & life skills, EDI, compliance, medical services, athletic performance, sports nutrition, and counseling services units. In addition, Richardson will provide oversight in liaison roles with important business-relevant areas including student accounts, admissions, NCAA membership, financial aid and Athletics Faculty Representative Dr. Jeri Beggs.

"We are excited to bring Nona and her expertise to Redbird Athletics," Brennan said. "I've had the pleasure of knowing and working with Nona for a long time and know how much of an impact she can make on our student-athletes and department. Her vast knowledge in collegiate athletics as an administrator, combined with her background in coaching and staff development, will be tremendous assets to our department for many years to come. Our goal has been to continue to move Redbird Athletics forward and build on our successful past, and we believe Nona will be an important part of that in the future."

Richardson comes to Illinois State after serving as Utah's Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator since January 2015. While at Utah, she oversaw all student-athlete support services, including academics, sports medicine, nutrition, psychologists, student-athlete well-being, and the Ute Academy personal development program. She also supervised several sports, served as Utah's gender equity and diversity coordinator and was a representative on the Pac-12 Conference Council. Richardson also served as the co-advisor for the UTAH Group (United Together Against Hate) and chair of UTUA (United Through Understanding and Action). 

"Illinois State University and its athletic programs have always been looked at as one of the premiere institutions at the FCS level," Richardson stated. "I am fortunate to have the opportunity to reunite with Kyle Brennan for the third time and look forward to collaborating with the student-athletes, coaches and staff as we continue to RISE."

Richardson's career as a collegiate athletics administrator saw previous stops at UC Davis (2007-14), Ball State (2002-07) and Valparaiso (1996-2002). She began her career in collegiate athletics as a volleyball coach at Kentucky and Eastern Michigan and was honored as the 2017 Women Leaders in College Sports DI-FBS Administrator of the Year. 

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