Because of Title IX: Noreen Morris

Commissioner, Northeast Conference

Finish this sentence: "Because of Title IX..."

I was provided opportunities my mother never had, and I seized the chance to become a pioneer for girls and women to participate in sports at the youth and college levels.

How have the athletic and academic opportunities afforded to you because of Title IX impacted your life?

The question is how hasn’t Title IX impacted my life? The ability to compete in sports at all levels has molded me into the person I am today: a strong, confident, hard-working professional who understands the value of teamwork, relationship building, goal setting, and improving from lessons learned when those goals aren’t met. Can you imagine your life without them? Absolutely not!

Tell us about a woman who championed you in pursuing your goals. How did her influence inspire or affect you and your career?

I have two female champions in my life, my mom, Rita Morris and Pat Meiser, former AD at Hartford University. Growing up I never heard from my mom the phrases “you can’t do that” or “that’s not for girls”. Instead I was encouraged to get involved in any and all activities that interested me, even when it meant I would be the only girl in my town’s boys soccer league in 1975 when I was 10 years old! Fast forward to 1991 when I had the privilege of becoming Pat Meiser’s intern at UConn, where she exposed me to every facet of her job and showed me how incredibly helpful it is to have a female mentor in the world of college athletics.

How are you continuing to champion the next generation of women and girls in sports, and raise awareness on the importance Title IX?

As the co-chair of the NCAA Gender Equity Task Force, I hope to lead the effective implementation of recommendations that will move the needle nationally. At a more local level, the NEC has partnered with a number of conferences in the northeast region to provide professional development forums for women coaches on an annual basis. In addition, I welcome the opportunity to speak about Title IX and the need for more women in college coaching and administration.

If you could send an empowering tweet to every woman and girl across the country, what would you send?

Don’t let people tell you what you can’t do, show them what you can do! Be strong, push yourself and the women around you to achieve and succeed!

See all our #BecauseofTitleIX stories here! »
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