By Blake Dowson
Barbara Burke, who was hired last summer by the Athletics Department as the senior associate athletics director for sport administration and event management, now has a new job title.Athletics Director Gary Barta tabbed Burke to fill the No. 2 position in the Athletics Department, deputy athletics director, after Gene Taylor left last week to become the new athletics director at Kansas State.
Burke joined the Iowa Athletics Department after serving as deputy athletics director/chief operating officer at Tulane. Before her stint at Tulane, she was the Eastern Illinois AD for six years.
“I’ve known Barbara for many years and worked with her in the past. We were thrilled when she agreed to join the Hawkeye family a year ago,” Barta said in a release. “She has incredible experience as both an athletics director and deputy athletics director. She’s a collaborative leader with great passion and is dedicated to helping our student-athletes and coaches succeed.”
While Burke filled the position left vacant by the departure of Taylor, that now leaves her old position unfilled. Barta announced Tuesday that a national search will begin immediately to fill her former role.
Burke will keep some of her old jobs, such as serving as the university’s senior women’s administrator. She will also be involved in strategic planning, including facility planning and capital projects, and student-athlete Code of Conduct and discipline, according to a release.
While at Eastern Illinois, Burke led the growth in the Panther Club, which saw an uptick in fundraising and membership. During her time there, the Panthers won three Ohio Valley Commissioner’s Cups in five years.
Before her time at Eastern Illinois, Burke spent 10 years working for Wyoming. There, she worked under the same job titles she now holds at Iowa — deputy athletics director and senior women’s administrator.
On top of her day-to-day duties, Burke was selected to serve on the NCAA Women’s Basketball Rules Committee in 2010 and was named a committee head in August 2012. She also served on the NCAA Division-1 Championship/Sports Management Cabinet.
Burke did her undergrad work at Western Michigan, where she played softball and basketball. She led the Broncos to the 1980 College Softball World Series and was inducted into the Western Michigan Hall of Fame in 1988.
“I am honored and thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of a great Athletics Department, and I want to thank Gary Barta and President Bruce Harreld for the confidence they’ve placed in me,” Burke said in a release. “I look forward to continuing to serve our coaches, staff, and student-athletes in my new role. We have a responsibility to represent our community and the University of Iowa. I do not take that lightly, and I look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.”