Dr. Myles Brand assumed his duties as president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association January 1, 2003. He is the fourth chief executive officer of the Association.

During his first four years, Brand has presided over passage of the most comprehensive academic reform package for intercollegiate athletics in recent history - a package that refocuses the attention of student-athletes, coaches and administrators on the education of student-athletes. Brand has also changed the national dialog on college sports to emphasize the educational value of athletics participation and the integration of intercollegiate athletics with the academic mission of higher education. His tenure has helped reestablished the indispensable role of university presidents in the governance of college sports.

Brand was himself president of two major universities. From 1994 through 2002, he was president of Indiana University, an eight-campus institution of higher education with nearly 100,000 students, 17,000 employees and a budget of $3.4 billion. Brand also served as president at the University of Oregon from 1989 to 1994.

Born May 17, 1942, Brand earned his BS in philosophy from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1964, and his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Rochester in 1967. Brand's other administrative posts include provost and vice-president for academic affairs, Ohio State University, 1986-89; coordinating dean, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Arizona, 1985-86; dean, faculty of social and behavioral sciences, Arizona,1983-86; director, Cognitive Science Program, Arizona, 1982-85; head, department of philosophy, Arizona,1981-83; chairman, department of philosophy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1972-80. He began his career in the department of philosophy, University of Pittsburgh, 1967-72.

Brand has also served on the Executive Committee of the Board of directors, Association of American Universities (AAU), and as board chair, 1999-2000; a member of the board of directors, 1992-97, and executive committee, 1994-97, of the American Council on Education (ACE); and a member of the board of directors of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC), 1995-98. He served too as a board member of the American Philosophical Association and of the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development, the umbrella organization of Internet2.

His academic research investigates the nature of human action. His work focuses on intention, desire, belief and other cognitive states, as well as deliberation and practical reasoning, planning and general goal-directed activity. He has also written extensively on various topics in higher education, such as tenure and undergraduate education.

Dr. Henschen is a Professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of Utah with an area of expertise in the psychosocial aspects of sports (Psychology of performance). Dr. Henschen received his P.E.D. degree from Indiana University in 1971 and has been a member of the University of Utah Faculty for the past 36 years.

Dr. Henschen's research interests include the psychology of performance, use of psychological interventions in sports, and sport psychology for special populations. He has published over 200 articles, 30 chapters of book, five monographs, and co-authored five textbooks. He has directed 40 doctoral dissertations and 20 masters' thesis. Dr. Henschen is a frequent research presenter and conference speaker with over 400 presentations to his credit.

Dr. Henschen has served as President (1997-98) of the American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAPHERD), and also President of the International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP) from 2001-05.

Dr. Henschen has consulted with numerous world class, professional and elite level athletes as well as five National Governing Boards (NGB'S) for the USOC. He has been the sport psychology consultant for the United States Gymnastics Federation (USGF), United States Biathlon Association (USBA), the United States Association of Track and Field (USATF), the United States Skiing Association (USSA), and the United States Speed Skating Association (USSSA).

He has been the sport psychology consultant for the U.S. Women's Gymnastics Team at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea, the U.S. Track Team at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Also, during the Salt Lake City Olympics, Dr. Henschen worked with three United States teams- aerialists, short track speed skaters, and long track speed skaters.

Dr. Henschen also works with numerous college and professional teams in variety of sports. He has been the sport psychology consultant for the Utah Jazz for the past 19 years.

Steve Miller is currently a Senior Analyst and Adjunct Professor at the University of Oregon's Warsaw Sports Marketing Center. Acting as a key industry specialist, he works with the Warsaw Center on a variety of initiatives including industry outreach and research.

Most recently, Steve Miller was President/Chief Executive Officer of Devine Sports and was responsible for repositioning the Devine brand message, along with all day-to-day management of the company.

From 2000-2005, Miller was President/CEO of the Professional Bowlers Association in Seattle. In his five years at the PBA, he was responsible for revamping the organization, bringing membership to an all time high, negotiating an exclusive three-year television deal with ESPN, increasing sponsorship from two sponsors in 2000 to 17 for the 2004-05 PBA Tour season.

Miller is well known in the world of sports marketing, serving as former Director of Global Sports Marketing and a 10-year veteran of Nike. While at Nike, Steve served numerous positions including Director of Athletics, Director of U.S. Sports Marketing, Director of Sports Marketing for the Asia Pacific Region and Director of NCAA Sports Marketing. He also oversaw Nike's $100 million investment in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

A former track and field star, Miller was named NCAA Coach of the Year five times. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, Powerplate, and the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation, to name a few. Steve is a highly sought after lecturer on topics ranging from Motivation to Executive Leadership. He has a BS in English Literature and Physical Education from Bradley University, and an MS in Physical Education and Biomechanical Analysis from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Ralph Vernacchia, Ph.D. directs the undergraduate and graduate programs in sport psychology at Western Washington University, as well as WWU's Center for Performance Excellence. He has presented extensively on variety of sport psychology topics throughout the nation and has authored four sport psychology textbooks, including "Coaching Mental Excellence"; "Inner Strength"; and "The Psychology of High-Performance Track and Field".

He is a fellow and certified consultant of the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). Dr. Vernacchia serves as a performance consultant to the Western Washington University Athletic Department and is a member of the USA Track and Field (USATF) Sport Psychology Sub-Committee and is an instructor in the USATF Level I, II, and III coaching education programs. He has traveled internationally as a performance consultant with several USA international track and field teams, including the 2000 USA Olympic Track and Field Team that competed in Sydney, Australia.

He has been inducted into the Western Washington University Athletic Hall-of-Fame in honor of his accomplishments as Western's cross country and track and field coach from 1973-1987. Dr. Vernacchia served as the distinguished visiting professor in the department of physical education at the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY for the 2003-04 academic year.

In 2005 he was inducted into the AAHPERD National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) Hall-of-Fame.

Dr. Michael M. Crow became the 16th president of Arizona State University on July 1, 2002. He is guiding the transformation of ASU into one of the nation's leading public metropolitan research universities, one that is directly engaged in the economic, social, and cultural vitality of its region. Under his direction the university pursues teaching, research, and creative excellence focused on the major challenges and questions of our time, as well as those central to the building of a sustainable environment and economy for Arizona. He has committed the university to global engagement, and to setting a new standard for public service.

Since he took office, ASU has marked a number of important milestones, including the establishment of major interdisciplinary research initiatives such as the Biodesign Institute; the International Institute for Sustainability; and MacroTechnology Works, a program integrating science and technology for large-scale applications, including the Flexible Display Center, a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Army. Under his direction ASU has initiated a dramatic research infrastructure expansion to create more than one million square feet of new research space, and has announced naming gifts endowing the W. P. Carey School of Business, the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, the Mary Lou Fulton School of Education and the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing. The university has also named the Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law. Prior to joining ASU, he was executive vice provost of Columbia University, where he also was professor of science and technology policy in the School of International and Public Affairs. As chief strategist of Columbia's research enterprise, he led technology and innovation transfer operations, establishing Columbia Innovation Enterprises (now Science and Technology Ventures), the Strategic Initiative Program, and the Columbia Digital Media Initiative, as well as advancing interdisciplinary program development.

He helped found the Center for Science, Policy, and Outcomes (CSPO) in Washington, D.C., a think tank dedicated to linking science and technology to optimal social, economic, and environmental outcomes. In 2003 CSPO was reestablished at ASU as the Consortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes.

A fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, he is the author of books and articles relating to the analysis of research organizations, technology transfer, science and technology policy, and the theory and practice of public policy.