Photo by: Northwestern Athletics
Janna Blais Named Chief Administrative Officer for Northwestern Athletics
7/21/2025 10:00:00 AM | General
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern University has announced the appointment of Janna Blais as its inaugural Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for Northwestern Athletics. A highly respected and accomplished leader in collegiate athletics, Blais, who has served as Deputy Director of Athletics (Administration and Policy) & Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) since 2016, will assume her elevated role immediately and will continue to prioritize the holistic development and well-being of student-athletes.
"We're thrilled to have Janna step into this new role of Chief Administrative Officer and join our executive leadership team," said Mark Jackson, Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation. "She's been such a strong presence for our department for a long time – managing so much behind the scenes and doing it all with consistency, care and a work ethic second to none. Her unwavering commitment to Northwestern and to our student-athletes shows up every single day. She has done a tremendous job leading these areas already, and I'm excited to see the impact she continues to have on our department and our student-athletes in her new role."
As CAO/SWA, Blais will be responsible for overseeing departments and units dedicated to graduating complete student-athletes, including NCAA Compliance, Academic Services, INVEST NU (Student Development), Student-Athlete Health and Wellness, and Recreation. She will continue to serve as a key internal liaison to university offices such as Admissions, Registrar, Financial Aid, Residence Life, General Counsel, Dean of Students, Office of Community Standards, and the Committee on Athletics and Recreation (CAR). Blais will maintain her close working relationship with the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, serving as a Deputy Title IX Coordinator focused on discrimination and harassment prevention. Additionally, Blais will maintain her role as primary sport administrator for women's basketball and women's cross country and track, and secondary sport administrator for the women's lacrosse program. She will work closely with Northwestern Medicine, the Chief Operating Officer, and sport administrators to optimize the Health and Wellness High Performance Team, and serve as the primary contact with student affairs, including an operational relationship with the Counseling and Psychological Services department.
"I am incredibly honored and excited to step into this new leadership position as Chief Administrative Officer for Northwestern Athletics," said Blais. "Northwestern has been my professional home for 15 years, and I am deeply committed to our student-athletes, coaches, and staff. I am grateful to Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Mark Jackson for this incredible opportunity. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with our dedicated teams and university partners to uphold our mission of fostering complete student-athletes who excel in all facets of their lives. Together, we will continue to build on Northwestern's tradition of academic and athletic excellence."
Blais has been a pivotal and influential leader in collegiate athletics since joining Northwestern in 2010, including serving as Interim Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation in 2021. Beyond Evanston, she holds significant roles, including a four-year term on the NCAA Division I Board of Directors and an appointment to the NCAA Division I Transformation Committee. Within the Big Ten Conference, Blais is an active member of the Joint Group and Administrators Council, contributing to several key subcommittees and previously chairing the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Committee.
Before joining Northwestern, Blais spent more than a decade at Bowling Green State University as the Senior Associate Athletics Director and SWA, where she served a four-year term on the NCAA Division I Softball Committee, chairing the group in her final year. Prior to Bowling Green, she was the Assistant Director of Athletics for Institutional Compliance/SWA at the University of Hartford. Earlier in her career, Blais served as an assistant softball coach at her alma mater, the University of Connecticut.
A native of Lakeville, Massachusetts, Blais earned her undergraduate degree in Sports Medicine/Athletic Training from the University of Connecticut, where she was a standout softball player. She captained the Huskies during her senior year, leading them to a fifth-place finish at the Women's College World Series, and earned East Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year and All-America honors over her final two seasons. Blais, a three-time Big East Player of the Year, earned NATA certification in athletic training and completed her master's degree in Sport Management from UConn.
Blais and her husband, Michael, have two sons, Brady and Jace.
"We're thrilled to have Janna step into this new role of Chief Administrative Officer and join our executive leadership team," said Mark Jackson, Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation. "She's been such a strong presence for our department for a long time – managing so much behind the scenes and doing it all with consistency, care and a work ethic second to none. Her unwavering commitment to Northwestern and to our student-athletes shows up every single day. She has done a tremendous job leading these areas already, and I'm excited to see the impact she continues to have on our department and our student-athletes in her new role."
As CAO/SWA, Blais will be responsible for overseeing departments and units dedicated to graduating complete student-athletes, including NCAA Compliance, Academic Services, INVEST NU (Student Development), Student-Athlete Health and Wellness, and Recreation. She will continue to serve as a key internal liaison to university offices such as Admissions, Registrar, Financial Aid, Residence Life, General Counsel, Dean of Students, Office of Community Standards, and the Committee on Athletics and Recreation (CAR). Blais will maintain her close working relationship with the Office for Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, serving as a Deputy Title IX Coordinator focused on discrimination and harassment prevention. Additionally, Blais will maintain her role as primary sport administrator for women's basketball and women's cross country and track, and secondary sport administrator for the women's lacrosse program. She will work closely with Northwestern Medicine, the Chief Operating Officer, and sport administrators to optimize the Health and Wellness High Performance Team, and serve as the primary contact with student affairs, including an operational relationship with the Counseling and Psychological Services department.
"I am incredibly honored and excited to step into this new leadership position as Chief Administrative Officer for Northwestern Athletics," said Blais. "Northwestern has been my professional home for 15 years, and I am deeply committed to our student-athletes, coaches, and staff. I am grateful to Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Mark Jackson for this incredible opportunity. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with our dedicated teams and university partners to uphold our mission of fostering complete student-athletes who excel in all facets of their lives. Together, we will continue to build on Northwestern's tradition of academic and athletic excellence."
Blais has been a pivotal and influential leader in collegiate athletics since joining Northwestern in 2010, including serving as Interim Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation in 2021. Beyond Evanston, she holds significant roles, including a four-year term on the NCAA Division I Board of Directors and an appointment to the NCAA Division I Transformation Committee. Within the Big Ten Conference, Blais is an active member of the Joint Group and Administrators Council, contributing to several key subcommittees and previously chairing the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Committee.
Before joining Northwestern, Blais spent more than a decade at Bowling Green State University as the Senior Associate Athletics Director and SWA, where she served a four-year term on the NCAA Division I Softball Committee, chairing the group in her final year. Prior to Bowling Green, she was the Assistant Director of Athletics for Institutional Compliance/SWA at the University of Hartford. Earlier in her career, Blais served as an assistant softball coach at her alma mater, the University of Connecticut.
A native of Lakeville, Massachusetts, Blais earned her undergraduate degree in Sports Medicine/Athletic Training from the University of Connecticut, where she was a standout softball player. She captained the Huskies during her senior year, leading them to a fifth-place finish at the Women's College World Series, and earned East Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year and All-America honors over her final two seasons. Blais, a three-time Big East Player of the Year, earned NATA certification in athletic training and completed her master's degree in Sport Management from UConn.
Blais and her husband, Michael, have two sons, Brady and Jace.
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