Cano named to TAMUSA Athletics women's leadership role

SAN ANTONIO – Texas A&M University–San Antonio has named Christi Cano, the university's men's golf coach as its Senior Woman Leader for the athletic department.

The NAIA mandated that all its member institutions designate a Senior Woman Leader in 2021 as part of the organization's amendments to its governing bylaws.

NAIA Bylaws Article I, Section E states: "All NAIA institutions will name a senior woman leader to promote meaningful representation of women in the leadership and management of intercollegiate sports on NAIA campuses. This role provides an identifiable female presence at each member institution with whom staff and student-athletes can communicate. The role of senior woman leader may be held by a female administrator or coach who will serve as a key participant in senior-level management decisions regarding intercollegiate athletics on campus. The athletics director may designate the role to any female within the athletic department as they deem appropriate."

Among the duties outlined for a program's Senior Woman Leader is to provide leadership and guidance pertaining to Title IX and gender equity, assist the athletic director with strategic planning, and participate in budget development and major financial decisions.

A native of San Antonio, Cano is a rising star at the university and in the world of college athletics leadership. "Being designated as the Senior Woman Leader for the Athletics Department is a position I will take pride in," she said.

Cano is one of a very small number of women exclusively coaching a men's team in the nation in either the NCAA or NAIA. She graduated from Edison High School and was later inducted into the San Antonio ISD Sports Hall of Fame. Cano played collegiate golf at NCAA Division I Oklahoma State and golfed professionally on the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour.

"Knowing the disparity between men and women in leadership positions within college athletics, this is a big step the NAIA is taking to bridge the gap," Cano said. "This designation will provide more opportunity to gain experience from a leadership perspective."

The 2021 mandate dictated that all NAIA programs will have designated a Senior Woman Leader by August 2023.