Serves as Division I representative
UCA President Houston Davis
The NCAA Board of Governors has added University of Central Arkansas President Houston Davis as one of its four Division I voting members.
The board also approved adding Allison Feaster, former Harvard women’s basketball standout and current vice president of team operations and organizational growth for the Boston Celtics, as one of its two independent voting members.
“The board will greatly benefit from adding the perspectives and expertise of Houston Davis and Allison Feaster,” said Linda A. Livingstone, president at Baylor and chair of the Board of Governors. “Their combination of experience in higher education and athletics will be valuable as the Association continues to evolve and emphasize providing a world-class athletics and academic experience for our student-athletes.”
Davis, who replaces Georgetown President John J. DeGioia on the board, brings a variety of higher education experience to the Association’s highest governing body. Before becoming president of UCA in 2017, he served as the executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer at the University System of Georgia, vice chancellor for academic affairs at Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, project director and principal investigator for the National Educational Needs Index Project, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at the Tennessee Board of Regents, and associate vice president for academic affairs and assistant professor at Austin Peay.
His professional background includes research projects and policy work in the areas of higher education governance, economic development, accreditation and accountability issues in higher education. He also has served on several national advisory groups on higher education policy, degree completion, academic preparation and accountability. He received his doctorate in education and human development from Vanderbilt, with other degrees from Memphis and Tennessee State.
“I am excited and honored to serve on the Board of Governors,” Davis said. “Throughout my career in higher education, I have always worked to be a student-focused leader. I will continue to bring this same drive to my service on the board, ensuring that we are making decisions focused on opportunities to serve student-athletes.”
Feaster, a three-time Ivy League Player of the Year and four-time first-team all-Ivy selection, will replace outgoing independent member Grant Hill on the board. After a successful professional playing career in the WNBA and internationally, Feaster’s front-office career in the NBA was jump-started by being one of two women selected to participate in the league’s Basketball Operations Associate Program in 2016.
Three years later, she joined the Boston Celtics, where she is currently the vice president of player development and organizational growth. Additionally, Feaster co-leads the Boston Celtics United for Social Justice initiative, which focuses on addressing social and racial inequities in Greater Boston. In her career, she also has served as a sports representative to Myanmar, the Philippines, Suriname and Guyana with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. A champion of the advancement of women and girls, she was honored by YW Boston at the Academy of Women Achievers celebration in 2022.
“As a former college athlete whose life was changed by my experience at Harvard, it’s an honor to serve on the NCAA Board of Governors,” Feaster said. “I look forward to working with the rest of the board and helping create impactful change for all student-athletes.”
Davis and Feaster’s terms on the board began upon adjournment of the board’s Aug. 1 meeting. The board’s next quarterly meeting is scheduled for Oct. 24.
The board includes nine voting members and seven nonvoting ex officio members. All three divisions are represented, including among the three graduated student-athletes represented on the board.
