GeneralJune 01, 2023

Goetz Named Interim Athletics Director

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Beth Goetz has been named the University of Iowa’s interim director of athletics, effective Aug. 1.

Goetz, who currently serves as deputy director of athletics and chief operating officer, will hold the Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair. She was named interim AD after current athletics director Gary Barta announced May 26 that he will retire after 17 years at the university.

“Beth is a talented and respected leader not only at Iowa, but also at the national level in college athletics. I am grateful she has agreed to lead this crucial part of our university and I am confident she will generate a lot of excitement and forward momentum for our student-athletes, coaches, athletics staff, and Hawkeye fans.”

UI President Barbara Wilson

Goetz joined the Iowa athletics staff in September 2022 from Ball State University, where she served as director of athletics for four years. At Ball State, she supervised 19 Division I sports teams, all head coaches, and senior staff. Before that, she served as the chief operating officer/senior woman administrator in the University of Connecticut athletics department from 2016-18. She previously served as the University of Minnesota’s deputy athletics director from 2013-15 and interim athletics director during the 2015-16 season.

Goetz was named to the NCAA Competition Oversight Committee in 2018 and served as vice chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee in 2021-22. She was named by Women Leaders in College Sports as the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS Nike Executive of the Year and recognized by the Indianapolis Business Journal as one of the publication’s 2021 Women of Influence.

A former soccer student-athlete and college coach, she received a Bachelor of Arts from Clemson University in 1996 and a master’s degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 2000.

“I want to congratulate Gary Barta on his long career at Iowa and thank President Wilson for putting her trust in me and the tremendous people we have here at Iowa. The Hawkeyes have a proud and storied tradition with the greatest fan base in the country, and I am appreciative of the opportunity to lead the department. I am committed to supporting our talented coaches, staff, and student-athletes as we build on the positive trajectory of athletic and academic excellence.”

UI Interim Director of Athletics Beth Goetz