In 2021, The NAIA passed legislation to create the role of the Senior Woman Leader (SWL), a designation in each NAIA athletics department or conference office. The purpose of the SWL designation is to promote meaningful representation of women in the leadership and management of college sports.
As described in the Official NAIA Handbook, Article I, Section E, this role provides an identifiable female presence at each member institution with whom staff and student-athletes can communicate. The role of SWL may be held by a female administrator or coach who will serve as a key participant in senior-level management decisions regarding intercollegiate athletics on campus. The athletics director may designate the role to any female within the athletic department as they deem appropriate.
SWL Responsibilities
The Senior Woman Leaders' functions shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
-
Communicate regularly with the athletics director, not only for leadership development, but also to consult on major departmental and university initiatives;
-
Participate in providing leadership and guidance in the area of Title IX and gender equity planning for the overall department, to include both men’s and women’s sports;
-
Assist the athletics director and senior management with strategic planning processes and decision making for the athletics department;
-
Participate in budget development and major financial decisions for the athletics department operations and initiatives; and
- Advocate for student-athlete well-being while also serving as a mentor and resource for direct reports and other athletics staff members.
As assigned by the athletics director, the SWL's functions could also include the following: Fully engage in the hiring, onboarding, and evaluation processes for coaches and staff; Meet regularly with institutional senior leaders (e.g. president/chancellor, vice presidents, etc.); and assist in providing leadership oversight for both men’s and women’s sports.
NAIA member institutions will develop and fully integrate the Senior Woman Leader role into their athletics department structure by August 1, 2023.
As such, NAIA Bylaw Article X, Section C states the establishment of the Senior Woman Leaders Association (SWLA).
This association is responsible for the professional development of Senior Woman Leaders, and for assisting in responsible growth of the position across the association. In addition to promoting the growth and development of senior woman leaders, this association will initiate professional development opportunities for female staff and student-athletes. The association will meet annually at the NAIA National Convention, and membership is open to all individuals of member institutions holding the role of Senior Woman Leader as described in Article I, Section E.
The mission of the NAIA SWLA is to promote the meaningful representation of women in the leadership and management of NAIA Sports. The SWLA will work to cultivate a supportive and inclusive space for SWL's to connect, collaborate, develop, and advance while supporting women's interests, experiences, and perspectives at the institutional, conference, and national levels.
Soka University's Senior Woman Leader is Erica Baldaray. During the 2024 NAIA National Convention and inaugural SWLA Business Meeting, Baldaray was voted as the first-ever SWLA Vice-Chair Elect and a representative on the the approved 10-member leadership board.
Prior to the NAIA SWLA forming, the California Pacific Conference established its Senior Woman Leader Council in 2022. The mission of the Cal Pac Senior Woman Leader Council is to advance meaningful representation of women in the leadership and management of the California Pacific Conference and its member institutions and to foster an inclusive and informed perspective on issues and initiatives important to student-athletes, coaches, and staff. Baldaray served as the first-ever Cal Pac SWLC Chair for three years (2022-2025).
One of the major initiatives fomalized under Baldaray's leadership, was developing a conference-wide designation description to support the successful integration of SWLs across conference institutions. Due to the varied needs of California Pacific Conference institutions, the Senior Woman Leader Council (SWLC) recognized that the role of the Senior Woman Leader (SWL) on each campus would not be uniform, and every institution has autonomy in defining the designation. As such, based on the NAIA's published Senior Woman Leader's Responsibilities, the Cal Pac SWLC developed a designation description which was approved by the Cal Pac Conference Athletics Directors Council in June of 2023 to use as a starting point for integrating the role more fully within membership's athletics department.
With the Lions' transition into the Great Southwest Athletic Conference in 2025, Baldaray serves as a member of the GSAC Senior Woman Leader Committee and NAIA SWLA Vice-Chair Elect on the newly approved (2025) 21-member SWLA Leadership Board.
Senior Woman Leader x Junior Woman Leader Mentorship Program
Soka University is proud to introduce the Senior Woman Leader x Junior Woman Leader (SWL x JWL) Mentorship Program — a transformative initiative designed to foster the next generation of women leaders in collegiate athletics. This year-long program pairs aspiring female student leaders (JWLs) with experienced Senior Woman Leaders (SWLs) to cultivate leadership skills, provide hands-on experiences in athletics administration, and build strong professional networks. The mentorship program was piloted during the Spring 2025 semester at Soka University with Cienna Irwin serving as the first-ever Junior Woman Leader, and the 2025-2026 academic year will serve as the first full-year of the JWL Mentorship Program.
Through monthly mentorship meetings, leadership workshops, and collaborative departmental experiences, the program strengthens both the mentor and mentee’s development while enhancing the department’s overall culture and gender equity. Rooted in inclusivity and long-term leadership pipeline building, the initiative aims to serve as a model across conferences and institutions.
For more information or to apply, please contact Erica Baldaray at ebaldaray@soka.edu.
