UNI announces Megan Franklin as new athletics director

The University of Northern Iowa has named Megan Franklin its new director of athletics after former athletics director David Harris left the role to take an athletics director position at Tulane University.

Former UNI athletics director Bob Bowlsby has served in the position on an interim basis since January. Franklin will take over starting May 13, according to a news release. Franklin has worked at Drake University for more than a decade as its senior associate athletics director for strategic initiatives and external operations and senior woman administrator.

UNI President Mark Nook said in the release that Franklin’s ideas for boosting UNI athletics as well as the entire university made her stand out to the search committee. Franklin has agreed to a five-year contract pending approval from the Iowa Board of Regents, Nook said, and he is excited to introduce her to the campus community.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Megan to the University of Northern Iowa,” Nook said in the release. “Megan has been a key contributor to the renaissance of Drake Athletics in recent years. Her understanding of the NCAA Division I landscape and the Missouri Valley Conference will be immediately beneficial to Panther Athletics. Her longstanding commitment to student-athlete success stood out among a field of very strong candidates.”

According to the release, during her time at Drake, Franklin oversaw 15 sports as an administrator, including women’s basketball, women’s tennis and rowing. She also worked with community partners on initiatives to serve as a host in the 2019 and 2023 NCAA men’s basketball tournaments and the early stages of developing Mediacom Stadium, the college’s soccer stadium.

Before she came to Drake, Franklin held roles at Virginia Tech and the University of Nebraska.

“I appreciate President Nook and Panthers everywhere for entrusting me with the responsibility of serving as UNI’s Director of Athletics,” Franklin said in the release. “UNI’s rich tradition of success in the athletics arena, in the classroom and as a key community partner were appealing for me … As I visited campus and engaged with President Nook, his leadership team and coaches and staff, it simply confirmed many of the reasons that I have admired UNI from afar for many years. I am excited to get to Cedar Falls to build on the legacies in the Athletics Director chair of the individuals before me. Go Panthers!”