Kansas City's Gurney Earns N4A Distinguished Service Award
Kansas City Deputy Athletic Director Ursula Gurney today was awarded the N4A Distinguished Service Award. The award is presented annually to a N4A member who has demonstrated continuous N4A membership for five years, leadership in N4A at the regional or national level, a high quality of which is recognized by N4A peers and contributions above and beyond the normal service required by positions of leadership.
N4A, which has been in existence since 1975, is a diverse educational service and professional non-profit organization. Membership of N4A includes academic support and student services personnel who are committed to enhancing opportunities for academic, athletics and personal success for student-athletes.
Gurney earned her bachelor's degree in history from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, B.C., in 2000. She then went on to earn her master's degree in history from SFU in 2002. Athletically, Gurney swam competitively at the national level in Canada participating in several National Championships, Olympic and Commonwealth Games Trials. Prior to her work in Kansas City, Gurney spent seven years at Ohio State.
Gurney was named the Senior Woman Administrator in May of 2014 as well as being promoted to the Senior Associate Athletics Director for Internal Operations. Prior to her appointment, she was the Senior Associate AD for Academics and Strategic Initiatives.
In her current role as Deputy AD, Gurney oversees the areas of academics, compliance, sports medicine, sports performance, and is the primary liaison with UMKC's Offices of Admissions, Registration and Records and Residential Life. In addition, Gurney serves as a Deputy Title IX officer for the institution. She has oversight of ten of Kansas City's 16 programs, serving as the sport administrator for women's basketball, men's and women's golf, women's volleyball, men's and women's cross country and track and field. She represents Kanasa City as a member of the WAC Council and serves as a member of the Director of Athletics Senior Staff.
As SWA, Gurney provides administrative leadership in the management and governance of UMKC's Intercollegiate Athletics program, and is heavily involved in key decision making at the institutional, conference and national levels. She collaborates to address strategic initiatives and departmental goals, serves as a resource to all student-athletes and coaches, supports gender equity and Title IX issues and evaluates performance of departmental employees.
Gurney is an active member of N4A and Women Leaders in College Sports. She has presented multiple times at N4A's national and regional conferences. She has served on N4A's Board of Directors since 2012, and is a current member of N4A's Strategic Planning Committee. In 2015, she was awarded N4A's Lan Hewlett Award, an honor presented to those who demonstrate an unyielding commitment to the profession. She currently serves on the NCAA Committee on Academics, and the WAC's Academic and Governance Committee. From 2011-13 she was a member of the NCAA Division I Recruiting and Athletics Personnel Issues Cabinet. She is a graduate of Women Leaders 2012 Leadership Enhancement Institute (LEI), the 2010 West Institute for Administrative Advancement (IAA), and a 2009 graduate of the N4A's Professional Development Institute (PDI) Leader/Manager Track.