Women as directors of NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics: Defining experiences and leadership styles

The purpose of this study was to examine the personal and professional experiences perceived by NCAA Division I female intercollegiate directors of athletics. This qualitative piece sought to gain knowledge about female directors of athletics within their workplace environments and their leadership lifestyles. Data was collected through interviewing the participants (N=9) over the telephone. The interviews were semi-structured and open-ended to follow a guided interview guide approach. Using social constructivism and narrative analysis along with a hybrid thematic analysis approach of both inductive and deductive interpretation, data analysis revealed four hierarchical order themes with subcategorical first- and second-order themes. The four major themes that emerged from the data were personal attitudes towards leadership, experiences within current leadership position, thoughts on being a female director of athletics, and contributors to leadership success.