Denise O'Grady, Associate A.D. / Academics My supervisor and mentor is Denise O’Grady is in her 14th year with the IUPUI Athletic Department and her 12th as an Associate Athletics Director. She’s in her ninth year as the Associate A.D. for Academics and oversees the department’s academic support program. She and her staff handle all the student-athlete’s advising, class scheduling, academic mentoring and tutoring needs, with the focus being on recruiting, retaining and graduating champions.
With O'Grady at the helm, the IUPUI Athletics Department has achieved 13 consecutive semesters with a 3.0 grade point average or better, including a high water mark of 3.3 in Spring 2015.
She previously served as IUPUI's Assistant Director of Athletics before being elevated to an Associate position. O’Grady’s former responsibilities included sport oversight, championships, student-athlete services, event management, financial aid and oversight of the student-athlete annual awards program. She also served as the department’s SWA for six years.
Prior to coming to IUPUI, O’Grady served as Assistant Director of Membership Services at the NCAA. Among her responsibilities was the coordination of the NCAA Athletics Certification process with Division I institutions, peer review teams and the Committee on Athletics Certification. She also coordinated the Division II Degree Completion Award Program, served on the Interpretations Leadership Team and served as staff liaison to the Division II Membership and Academic Requirements Committee.
O’Grady also previously worked as Associate Director of Athletics at Northern Colorado for four years. She received her Bachelor’s degree in physical education from the University of Wyoming, before going on to receive her Master’s in sports administration from the University of Arizona. In addition, she's earned a graduate certificate in academic advising from Kansas State University.