June 12, 2024

Jordan Richey is the CCAA's 2023-24 Athletic Director of the Year

The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) is proud to honour Jordan Richey, Director of Athletics at NAIT, with the prestigious CCAA Athletic Director of the Year award. This recognition, a symbol of administrative excellence within the campus or college community, underscores his significant contributions over the past academic year.

Richey received the award at the CCAA Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, June 12th, in Ottawa.

Under the exceptional leadership of Jordan Richey, NAIT has undergone a series of transformative changes. His successful integration of Athletics, Recreation, and Recreation Facilities into a unified department has significantly strengthened the support system for student-athletes and the broader NAIT community. His guidance has also led to the reinstatement of ACAC Golf and Cross-Country, after a 14-year hiatus, thereby enhancing competitive student-athlete opportunities.

Jordan Richey's accomplishments are numerous and far-reaching. He chaired a committee that developed new ACAC Championship hosting protocols. His visionary planning has also identified future athletics and recreation facility opportunities on the Blatchford lands, promising transformational impacts for decades.

In partnership with NAIT’s Advancement Office, Jordan played a pivotal role in developing a significant endowment for NAIT Athletics, resulting in the establishment of four new scholarship awards for student-athletes in perpetuity. He also introduced a new team award at NAIT to acknowledge athletic program contributions to the community.

Under Jordan’s leadership, the NAIT Ooks Scholarship Golf tournament has seen three consecutive sell-out events after a decade-long hiatus. Additionally, he has worked with the Awards Office to raise GPA standards for athletic scholarships, dramatically improving student-athletes’ GPAs. He developed a support process for struggling student-athletes, focusing on academic recovery without removing them from sports. Furthermore, Jordan emphasized academic success in head coaching contracts, significantly improving student-athlete GPAs, retention, and graduation rates.

CCAA VP Marketing Bob Murray commented, “Jordan Richey carries himself with the utmost integrity and is a role model to the athletes and staff that make up Ooks Athletics at NAIT. His influence on those around him is all-encompassing; he has the unique ability to bring out the best in those around him. A selfless leader who always puts others first, Jordan has had an amazing impact not only on his campus but also on the ACAC and CCAA.”

Jordan Richey’s ability to inspire individuals and groups to achieve high levels of accomplishment, his commitment to teamwork and excellence, and his significant outreach efforts for the betterment of youth and the community have made him a standout leader.