University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Erin Punter Spence elected Chair of the Big South’s Council of Senior Woman Administrators
09.24.2024 | General, Athletics News
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – UNC Asheville Athletics is proud to announce that Erin Punter Spence, Senior Woman Administrator and Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance, has been elected the Chair of the Big South's Council of Senior Woman Administrators.
Spence will serve a two-year term during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years. The SWA designation promotes meaningful representation of women in the leadership and management of college sports.
The NCAA membership voted to create the SWA designation in 1981 — the same year it added women's championships — to ensure women were involved in the male-dominated administration of college athletics.
Spence has served as SWA for Asheville since 2021. Along with overseeing compliance and serving as SWA at Asheville, she is the advisor to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and sport supervisor for the UNC Asheville Swimming and Diving program. Spence also serves on the NCAA Initial Eligibility Waivers Committee. Spence has worked in compliance and student-athlete services since 2017. Prior to her move to compliance, Spence spearheaded marketing, promotions, and licensing efforts for the department for 13 years and was responsible for corporate partnerships.
"Senior Woman Administrators in the Big South Conference work tirelessly to keep the welfare and voice of our student-athletes at the forefront of the decisions made throughout the year, in addition to ensuring that we treat our men's and women's programs equitably," said Spence. "I am honored that my peers at the other Big South institutions entrusted me to represent them as Chair for the next two years. I look forward to working with the Big South SAAC leadership, the Athletics Directors, and the Faculty Athletics Representatives as we continue all the positive momentum of the Big South Conference."
