Robin Harris, Ivy League

hen Robin Harris joined the Ivy League as executive director in 2009, she knew it was a much different job than any other in a Division I conference. Now, as Harris heads into her eighth year, she remains focused on finding the right balance of high academic standards and athletic success.

She’s also had a hand this year in the ongoing national discussion of concussion prevention in football. In July, the Ivy League announced it would use an experimental rule for the 2016 football season that would move kickoffs up five yards to the 40-yard line and move touchbacks back five yards to the 20-yard line, hoping to reduce possible head injuries from kickoff returns while, more generally, further promoting the safety and welfare of the conference’s student athletes.

“This is a people-oriented business, particularly at the college level,” Harris said. “Being able to know so many talented people and being involved in national issues has been really helpful to my career.”

Apart from on-field decisions, Harris has placed a heavy emphasis on promoting the Ivy League Digital Network, which was created in 2013 and features live and on-demand content from all eight Ivy League schools’ sporting events. “It continues to exceed all projections,” she said. “That has been a terrific endeavor for our league, where all eight schools came together and were completely committed to featuring our athletic contests. It’s great having a mobile and streaming platform that is accessible to all of our fans.”

Harris conceded that keeping the conference in the public eye and part of today’s broad, fast-moving media landscape can be challenging. But under Harris’ leadership, the Ivy League earlier this year hired sports marketing veteran Paul Bamundo as its first chief marketing officer, and next year, for the first time in its history, the Ivy League will hold men’s and women’s conference basketball tournaments to determine which teams receive automatic bids into the NCAA tournament.

— Thomas Leary