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Charlottesville, VA University of Virginia athletics director Craig Littlepage announced today that Valerie Richardson has been hired as an Assistant Athletics Director for Sport Programs. She joins the Cavalier staff after serving as the associate director for external affairs at St. John’s for the past year.
In this newly-created position, Richardson will oversee several of the Cavalier sport programs; participate on various NCAA, ACC, University and departmental committees; coordinate special projects and events; and have responsibilities in long-range planning and scheduling; policy and procedure development and implementation; budget development and management; upholding NCAA, ACC, and University rules and regulations; as well as performing miscellaneous related duties and other projects when necessary.
“Valerie Richardson is an experienced administrator at both the institutional and conference levels,” Littlepage said. “She’s worn a number of different hats during her career as an administrator. Most importantly, she has the background and success in working closely with diverse populations of student-athletes and a variety of teams in competitive college programs. Ms. Richardson will make a positive impact with UVa athletics by providing additional administrative support for several sport programs.”
At St. John’s, Richardson coordinated all special events for the office of athletic development, bolstering fundraising efforts for women’s sports, and assisting in the areas of corporate marketing and sponsorship.
Richardson was the Associate A.D./Senior Woman Administrator at Columbia for two years from 2005-2007. She served as a member of the athletics department’s executive management team and oversaw eight of the Lions’ varsity athletic programs. Richardson directed several coaching searches while with the Lions, and chaired departmental subcommittees on gender equity and minority issues.
Prior to working at Columbia, Richardson worked at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she supervised all aspects of 10 varsity sports programs, including the Gauchos’ 2004 men’s soccer team, which advanced to the NCAA Championship match, and the women’s basketball team, perennial NCAA tournament entrants.
“I’m honored and excited to join Craig Littlepage and his fine administrative team at the University of Virginia,” Richardson said. “I have a deep respect for the University’s commitment to excellence, both academically and athletically, and I look forward to working closely with the Cavaliers’ coaches and student-athletes as they continue their efforts to excel at the national level.”
Richardson has been involved with the NCAA on a national level, having completed terms as both chair of the NCAA Honors Committee and a member of the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee.
Richardson spent six years at the West Coast Conference prior to assuming the UCSB position. She served as Director of Championships and Membership Services from 1998 to 2000, and as Assistant Commissioner/Senior Woman Administrator from 2000 to 2004. Among her numerous conference responsibilities was the administration of the league’s premier event, the WCC Men and Women’s Basketball Tournament, a five-day, 14-game operation. As director of the tournament, Richardson successfully planned and managed all of its aspects, including budgets, hotel coordination, merchandise sales and game operations.
A native of Oak View, Calif., she attended Stanford University, graduating in 1995 with a degree in psychology. She served as a media relations assistant at Washington State after graduation, then spent one year each as a championships intern with the NCAA and director of marketing for MAAC Properties.