NAIA Approves NAIA RISE Committee

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced on Friday that its Council of Presidents (COP) voted to absorb the current Conference Commissioner’s Association (CCA) Respect, Inclusivity, Support and Education (RISE) group and our Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion (LDI) into a more broadly focused committee, now titled NAIA RISE.

The newly formed committee, NAIA RISE has recently partnered with MOAA (Minorities Opportunities in Athletics Association) and Stan Johnson & Associates, to collaborate on the NAIA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’ (DEI) efforts for the association.

"We send our sincere thank you to the Council of President's for recognizing and supporting the need for expanded efforts in the area of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI),” stated Robert Cashell CCA Chair and member of the NAIA RISE committee. "This, along with our newly formed partnership with MOAA, has set a solid foundation from which we are excited to build upon."

The previous committee was created and operated by conference commissioners around the nation. The new name and focus, however, will allow for more representation from various committees and governing bodies. This representation will still include our conference commissioners, but will add a representative across many other areas of our association – including a president, student-athletes and faculty representative. Additionally, 50% of its membership is required to include women and minorities.

The committee’s operations will provide an avenue for NAIA membership to participate in training, programming and promoting career opportunities for more women and minorities within the NAIA Athletics departments. All of the efforts will be focused to influence positive change in the association, where all people are valued and provided equal opportunity in all aspects of life. 

ABOUT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS (NAIA) The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. NAIA members provide more than 77,000 student-athletes with opportunities to play college sports, earn $800 million in scholarships and compete in 27 national championships. naia.org | @NAIA