Joni Comstock Director of Athletics American University

Joni Comstock begins her second year as the Director of Athletics at American University, committed to leading the Eagles to Patriot League success and the high academic achievement American has come to expect from its student-athletes each year.

Comstock went to AU after three years as the Athletic Director at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. During her time with the Bulldogs, Comstock led a departmental reorganization and created a prioritization of sports, as well as supporting the Bulldogs in their first NCAA men's basketball appearance. In addition, Comstock helped the department increase its funding via marketing and development by 30 percent. In July 2003, Comstock was named Senior Advisor to the Chancellor. In that role, she was charged with serving as a liaison to the Board of Trustees and the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement, special university projects and operations within the Chancellor's office.

In April 2005, Comstock was selected as the chairperson of the NCAA Women's Basketball Committee. Comstock is charged with leading the 10-person committee, which is responsible for all facets of running the 64-team NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. Included in that are choosing venues and the often controversial job of selecting and seeding the teams.

Prior to UNC Asheville, Comstock spent 11 years at Purdue University, beginning as an assistant athletic director in 1989. In 1993, she was promoted to associate athletic director. In 1997 she was named Senior Associate Athletics Director responsible for sport programs and internal operations.

Comstock has also worked as an assistant athletic director at the University of Illinois. While at Illinois she was involved in marketing event management and oversaw academic services. She began her career as head coach of the volleyball and men's tennis teams and assistant women's basketball coach at Lincoln College in Illinois.