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CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois athletic director Jerry Kill announced on Monday that Air Force Academy’s Liz Jarnigan has been named the department’s senior woman administrator. In addition to her SWA responsibilities, Jarnigan will oversee all aspects of internal operations for Saluki Athletics.

Jarnigan served as the Falcons’ senior woman administrator for two years and was a member of the athletic department’s senior leadership team. She was the primary advisor and liaison to the athletic director on all matters concerning intercollegiate women’s programs as it related to equity and gender issues. She also had sports supervision responsibilities for both men’s and women’s programs.

“This is the most important hire I’ve made in a long time,” Kill said. “She has the ability to solve complicated issues. She has experience dealing with Title IX issues at San Jose State and was a huge factor in their turnaround. She’s much more qualified to be an athletic director than I am, but I think the two of us working together will be a great team.”

Prior to Air Force, Jarnigan worked for eight years at San Jose State, starting as the director for student-athlete success before being promoted to senior woman administrator in 2010. Her responsibilities for the Spartans included serving as sports supervisor for women’s volleyball, swimming & diving and softball, and overseeing compliance, academics, student services, life skills, and student-athlete advising and tutoring.

During her tenure at San Jose State, the department’s overall Academic Progress Rate (APR) rose from 925 to 972. The football team’s APR increased from 888 in 2008 to 975 in 2015. The overall student-athlete GPA reached an all-time high in 2016.

From 2001-06, Jarnigan was the coordinator of student services and an associate athletic director for student services (2007-08) at the University of Tulsa. In 2003 and 2004, she was honored with the Tulsa Area Girls and Women in Sports Role Model Award.
 
Her career in athletics administration began at Briar Cliff College where she was an assistant athletic director (1994-96) and interim director of athletics (1996). The 1987 graduate cum laude of St. Olaf College was a four-year letterwinner in volleyball. She received her master’s degree in athletic administration from Fort Hays State University in 1988.
 
Jarnigan has high school and college teaching and coaching experiences in Minnesota, Iowa and Kansas. She was the women’s volleyball head coach at Bethel College (1989-94), Briar Cliff College (1994-96) and Carleton College (1996-99). Her 1992 Bethel College was a conference champion and she was named the conference coach of the year for the team’s accomplishment.

“I’m thrilled with the opportunity to work alongside Coach Kill and the Saluki coaches and staff to support the success of our student-athletes, teams and university,” Jarnigan said. 
 
Her husband, Jeff Jarnigan, is an assistant general manager and coach for the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. The Jarnigans are the parents of three children, Mary, Jack and Emily. Mary is a teacher in Colorado Springs, Jack is a redshirt junior football player at Valparaiso University, and Emily is a junior volleyball player at St. Olaf College.

Jarnigan replaces Kathy Jones, who retired in December after 18 years as Southern’s SWA.