Bowling Green State University Athletics
Janna Blais Promoted to BGSU Senior Associate AD
October 15, 2007 | General
Oct. 15, 2007
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - Bowling Green State University Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs/Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Greg Christopher has announced the promotion of Janna Blais to Senior Associate Athletic Director. Blais is also the department's Senior Woman Administrator.
"Janna is deserving of this promotion and her expanded role," said Christopher. "The move signals the trust I have in Janna as an administrator and the value she brings to BGSU Athletics. As a former student-athlete herself, Janna puts the interests of our 425 student-athletes first and those instincts help make our department better."
Blais is in her ninth year at BGSU, having come on board in August of 1999. During this time she has served as Associate Athletics Director and SWA. In the spring and summer of 2006 she served as the Interim Deputy Athletics Director while a national search was conducted to hire a Director of Athletics.
Blais is the sport coordinator for eight of BG's 18 intercollegiate sport programs (men's and women's basketball, volleyball, men's and women's soccer, softball, baseball and gymnastics), and is responsible for the administration of the athletic training program and the strength and conditioning program. She is an integral part of maintaining progress on BGSU's Minority Opportunities and Gender Equity Plans. Blais currently serves as the advisor to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and recently completed a four-year term on the NCAA Division I Softball Committee, where she was Chair of the committee in 2006-07.
"I'm excited about the direction of BGSU Athletics and the role that I can play in ensuring positive experiences for all of our student-athletes," said Blais. "I see this promotion as a vote of confidence, and I will work hard to live up to the expectations that come with this new role.
"I would like to thank Greg Christopher for giving me opportunities to continue to grow in this profession and feel valued and respected in the process. I am proud to be a Falcon."
Prior to coming to BGSU, Blais spent three years as the Assistant A.D. for Institutional Compliance/SWA at the University of Hartford. In that position, she established and managed the complete compliance program for the athletic department including interpreting NCAA legislation, maintaining NCAA squad lists, serving as the liaison with the NCAA Clearinghouse, and maintaining compliance with Division I and America East rules and regulations. In addition, she was responsible for the operation of seven sports (men's and women's outdoor track, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's tennis, and softball) while coordinating the National Letter of Intent program and maintaining the $2.4 million athletic scholarship budget in her position as the senior woman administrator.
The Lakeville, Mass., native earned her undergraduate degree in sports medicine/athletic training in 1993 from the University of Connecticut where she was a softball standout. She served as captain as a senior helping them to a fifth-place finish in the Women's College World Series. In her final two seasons, she was named ECAC Player of the Year while earning All-America honors. She later earned her NATA certification in athletic training in 1995 and in 1996 earned her master's degree from Connecticut in sport management. While earning her master's degree, she also served as an assistant softball coach for the Huskies, helping to carry on the winning tradition that she and her teammates had established.
She and her husband, Michael, reside in Bowling Green with their two sons, Brady (5) and Jace (1).
