Celene McGowan was named Associate Executive Director for Championships and Sport Administration at the Ivy League office on January 4, 2010.
McGowan oversees the administration and event operations for the Ivy League’s 13 championships, coordinates intra-conference scheduling and manages the officiating and administration of playing rules for the League, including overseeing the independent contractors who serve as the league's officiating coordinators. She is also a member of the Executive Director’s senior leadership team.
McGowan came to the Ivy League after nine years at the Atlantic 10 Conference office, most recently as Assistant Commissioner for Championships. In that role, she was directly responsible for the operational and budgetary planning for eight Atlantic 10 championships while providing oversight for the other Olympic sports championships. McGowan also created conference schedules for all in-season Olympic sport play, supervised the Atlantic 10 assignors of officials in baseball, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, and volleyball, and served as the conference liaison to eight coaches groups.
During her tenure at the Atlantic 10, McGowan steadily increased her responsibilities as she advanced through several roles. She joined the staff in September 2000 as Assistant to the Commissioner and, in July 2002, was promoted to Director of Championships before being elevated to Assistant Commissioner in September 2005.
Prior to joining the Atlantic 10, McGowan served as Travel and Athletics Insurance Coordinator at Temple University, where she graduated in 2000 with a degree in sport and recreation management. She has also been involved in the management of several NCAA Division I Basketball Championships, including the 2000 Women’s Final Four and the men’s basketball preliminary rounds in 2001, 2002, 2006 and 2009. She also worked for three years as a seasonal ticket office representative with the Philadelphia Phillies.