The NFCA has announced six new additions and the re-election of four existing members as part of the Association’s Board of Directors. Each appointee will serve a two-year term, stretching from December of 2014 through December of 2016.
President and Nebraska head coach Rhonda Revelle was re-elected, as was Past President and Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy. Central Michigan University assistant coach Joanna Lane was elected to the Fourth Vice President position, while Arizona State assistant coach Boo Gillette has taken over as the new Second Vice President, following three years as the Assistant Coach representative. Moving into the Assistant Coach role is Nebraska’s Diane Miller.
Don Kennedy, head coach at Missouri S&T, will serve as the new Division II representative, Faulkner University head coach Hal Wynn will be the NAIA representative and San Diego City College head coach LeeAnn Taylor will take over as the Cal JC representative.
Joining Revelle and Murphy as re-elected representatives are Deer Park High School head coach Carrie Austgen (High School) and Kevin Shelton (Travel Ball) of the Texas Glory.
Continuing their terms on the NFCA Board of Directors are Georgetown head coach Pat Conlan (First Vice President), Boston University head coach Kathryn Gleason (Third Vice President), Memphis head coach Natalie Poole (Division I Representative), Eastern Connecticut State head coach Diana Pepin (Division III Representative), Midland College head coach Tommy Ramos (NJCAA Representative) and Dr. JoAnne Graf (Coach Emeriti Representative).
Each coach on the 16-member board is slated to serve a two-year term with the potential, if re-elected, to hold his or her respective position over consecutive, two-year stints.
Boo Gillette (Arizona State) – NFCA Second Vice President
Gillette enters her second season as an assistant coach at Arizona State after joining new Sun Devil head coach Craig Nicholson's staff on July 16, 2013. Following the 2014 season with the Sun Devils, she was elevated to pitching coach.
Gillette served on the NFCA's Board of Directors as Assistant Coach representative for three years, before being selected as the Second Vice President for a two-year term from 2014-16.
Gillette came to Tempe after a three-year assistant coaching stint at North Carolina where she spearheaded recruiting and was the baserunning and bullpen coach. A three-time All-Big Ten catcher at Wisconsin, she moved to UNC after serving as assistant coach for Purdue University from 2007-10. Working with the pitchers and catchers, Gillette coached five Big Ten Players of the Week, nine All-Big Ten Conference team members and five TPS/Louisville Slugger All-Mideast Region players.
Joanna Lane (Central Michigan) – NFCA Fourth Vice President
Lane brings 17 years of collegiate coaching experience to the table as she enters her fourth season as an assistant at Central Michigan. She was appointed to the NFCA's Board of Directors as the Fourth Vice President in 2014 and is serving her first two-year term.
In her first three seasons, the Chippewas have posted 95 wins and, in 2013, earned their 10th Mid-American Conference Tournament title and first NCAA Regional appearance since 2003. Prior to CMU, Lane spent three seasons as the head softball coach at South Dakota State. While there, she helped the program set numerous records such as highest batting average, runs scored, doubles, triples, and home runs. Before taking the job at SDSTU, the 2002 graduate of Georgetown College was an assistant softball coach at Northern Illinois.
Don Kennedy (Missouri S&T) – NFCA Division II Representative
Don Kennedy was appointed to the NFCA's Board of Directors as the Division II representative in 2014 and is starting his first term on the board. In 2015, Kennedy will enter his 10th season at the helm of the Missouri S&T softball program.
Kennedy guided the Lady Miners to their first NCAA Division II Tournament in 2007 and four Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Tournaments during his tenure.
Kennedy came to Missouri S&T after spending 11 seasons assisting the successful softball program at the University of Central Missouri. A 1993 graduate of UCM with a bachelor's degree in physical education, Kennedy spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant with the women's basketball program before joining the softball staff in the 1995 season. He did the bulk of his work with the catchers and outfielders. During his 11 years at Central, the Jennies posted a record of 369-208 (.640 winning percentage) and four regular season titles in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
Hal Wynn (Faulkner University) – NAIA Representative
Newly appointed to the NFCA’s Board of Directors as the NAIA representative, Wynn has amassed 640 wins as he enters his 24th season as the leader of the Faulkner softball program. He has worked at the University the past 30 years and has piloted the softball program since its inaugural season in 1992.
Under Wynn’s leadership, Faulkner has posted winning records in 13 of the last 18 seasons and at least 25 wins in all but five years. The program has also accumulated 30 or victories eight times, and the Lady Eagles have earned bids to the NAIA Region XIII tournament in 12 of the last 13 seasons it was held.
LeeAnn Taylor (San Diego City College) – Cal JC Representative
Taylor, a two-time Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) Coach of the Year (2006 & 2007), enters her 11th season as the head softball coach at San Diego City College and her 16th season at the collegiate level. She was appointed to the NFCA's Board of Directors in 2014 as the Cal JC representative.
She guided the Knights to consecutive postseason appearances in 2007 and 2008, and in 2007 led SDCC to its best record in school history (31-10-1, 11-4 PCC) and a share of the PCC championship.
Diane Miller (Nebraska) – Assistant Coach Representative
Nebraska assistant coach Diane Miller was appointed to the NFCA's Board of Directors in 2014 and is serving her first term as the Assistant Coach representative.
After orchestrating an offensive revival at Colorado State, Miller is producing an encore performance in Lincoln, leading the Huskers to outstanding offensive totals and more than 20 school records in her first six seasons. Individually, Miller has produced 23 all-conference hitters, nine all-region performers and four All-Americans in just six seasons.
Entering her seventh season at Nebraska in 2015, Miller's offenses have posted some of the best totals in school history. Nebraska has set school records in home runs, RBIs, extra-base hits, total bases, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and walks in the past four seasons alone.
