As chief financial officer for athletics, Levenson will oversee all matters relevant to athletics budgeting, fiscal performance and planning, business operations and financial aid. In addition, Levenson will provide senior leadership to student-athlete academic support programming, as well as gender equity, student well-being matters, and compliance.
"Roxanne has had a long remarkable career in the West Coast Conference. Her involvement in so many NCAA committees and cabinets will position Seattle U very well in the upcoming years. Roxanne has a solid history of commitment to gender equity which will serve us well in our transition to NCAA Division I," said Bill Hogan, Director of Athletics.
A key fixture at Pepperdine from May 1987 - March 2010, Levenson maintained an array of responsibilities that ranged from budget formation, financials reporting, and financial aid to developing and implementing policies and procedures regarding gender equity, compliance, and athletics participation.
Levenson had administrative oversight of various sports, student-athlete welfare, student-athlete services, academic services, and drug testing. She also directed numerous NCAA championship events and coordinated two cycles of NCAA certification. In addition, she served on numerous West Coast Conference and university-wide committees and task forces as the athletics department representative.
Levenson was a member of the NCAA Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet from 2001-2006, chairing the bracket/format subcommittee and also serving on the championships promotions and travel policies subcommittees. She served on the NCAA Honors Committee from 2008-2010, on the NCAA Research Committee from 2005-2009, on the NCAA Olympic Sports Liaison Committee from 1999-2003, on the NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Committee in 2000-2001, and on the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Committee from 1992-1998.
A member of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA), Levenson was named the organization's Division I-AAA Administrator of the Year in 2002 and served on the NACWAA Board of Directors from 2004-2008. She also assisted the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee as a sports coordinator for the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Levenson received her Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology with an emphasis in social psychology from UCLA in 1976, followed by a second B.A. degree in journalism from Cal State Northridge in 1979. She completed master's degree coursework in communication at Pepperdine University.
"I am ecstatic to begin a new chapter of my career at such an exceptional institution as Seattle University and welcome the opportunity to serve and administer the tremendous student-athletes, coaches, staff and administrators," Levenson said. "I look forward to the challenge of helping the Redhawks become a highly successful Division I program and to being an integral part of the Seattle U family and community."
The Seattle University athletic department has continued to emphasize top performance both in academics and in sports. Over the past four years, Seattle U has been represented by two NCAA Woman of the Year semifinalists (Top 30), eight Academic All-America honorees, and 22 Academic All-District winners. The university is in Year Three of the reclassification process, which includes the eligibility of the men's soccer and women's soccer teams for the NCAA Tournament.