Division of Student Affairs

Janna Blais Named WBCA Administrator of the Year

ATLANTA, Ga. (story courtesy WBCA) -- Northwestern University’s Janna Blais has been named the recipient of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s (WBCA) Administrator of the Year Award for her excellence in athletic administration. This award is presented annually to an administrator, athletic director, associate or assistant athletic director or senior woman administrator who has excelled at encouraging the growth and quality of women’s basketball programs and women’s athletic programs overall. The candidate must also have served as a professional role model for student-athletes. Janna earned the honor for her work at BGSU.

“We are delighted to present Janna Blais with the Administrator of the Year Award,” said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. “We appreciate her efforts in helping increase awareness and support for student-athletes at Bowling Green State University and now at Northwestern.”

Blais began her duties at Northwestern on February 15 after spending the past 10 years with Bowling Green State University as the senior associate athletics director/senior woman administrator. She assumed the same title at Northwestern where she manages all student-athlete welfare departments including compliance, academic services, strength and conditioning, equipment and athletic training. She also serves as the department’s liaison at Big Ten and NCAA meetings. Blais is the sport administrator for men’s and women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse and serves as the secondary supervisor for women’s basketball.

During her time at BGSU, Blais was responsible for the supervision, evaluation and overall management of nine sports, including women’s basketball. Her duties also included the administration of the athletic training and strength and conditioning areas, coordinating the development of travel, recruiting and operating budgets, approving expenditures for 11 separate sports and support areas and monitoring/evaluating gender equity and minority opportunity plans. She also served a four-year term on the NCAA Division I Softball Committee and chaired the committee in her final year. In addition, Blais was chair of the MAC Senior Administrators group and a member of the three-person MAC Executive Committee.

Blais will be formally recognized at the WBCA Awards Luncheon presented by State Farm and Jostens at Noon Central Time on Tuesday, April 6 at the Marriott River Center Grand Ballroom.  This event is part of the WBCA National Convention and is held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women’s Final Four® in San Antonio, Texas.

About the WBCA: Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women’s basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls.