ATLANTA (March 5, 2024) — DeJuena Chizer, executive senior associate athletics director for student-athlete development and senior women’s administrator at the University of Houston, is the 2024 WBCA Administrator of the Year, announced today by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
The WBCA Administrator of the Year award is presented annually to an administrator, athletic director, associate or assistant athletic director, or senior woman administrator who has excelled at encouraging the growth and quality of women’s basketball programs and women’s athletic programs overall. The candidate also must have served as a professional role model for student-athletes.
“DeJuena Chizer is a respected national leader in our sport. She has great instinct for the game due to her lifetime of service as a standout student-athlete, coach, and administrator,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. “Her two priorities when making decisions are the betterment of coaches and student-athletes. Her effort and care are reflected in the coaches and student-athletes she now serves. She is always committed to their growth, development, and success.”
A proud University of Houston graduate and former standout women’s basketball student-athlete, Chizer is in her 24th year with Houston Athletics. Before Chizer moved into her current position, she served eight seasons as a women's basketball assistant coach (2000-2008).
In her current role, Chizer provides direct administrative oversight to four women's sports programs and is responsible for the overall welfare and development of 450-plus Houston student-athletes. She has direct departmental oversight of the Academic Center for Excellence, Student-Athlete Welfare and Development, Sports Medicine, Sports Nutrition, Career Development, and Counseling Services. She serves as the sports administrator lead, collaborating with each program’s head coach and primary sports administrator. She also serves as the liaison to Title IX and the Dean of Students offices.
In addition, Chizer served a five-year appointment to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Committee. Her responsibilities included selections, seeding, and bracketing of the NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament.
“I want to thank the coaches and the WBCA Board of Directors for this awesome recognition and their steadfast commitment to the growth of women’s basketball,” said Chizer. “It’s an honor to join a great group that loves the game as much as I do!”
The WBCA Administrator of the Year award was first presented in 1985.
Visit WBCA.org to see a list of past recipients.
About the WBCA
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. Founded in 1981, the WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to the organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit WBCA.org for more details about the association.
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