Grand Canyon University Athletics
Boggs answers call to lead Lopes
8/27/2021 9:30:00 AM | General, Paul Coro
GCU VP of Athletics pursued passion, kept faith-family balance
When Jamie Boggs was a 16-year-old girl fitting piano lessons at Grand Canyon into her expansive sports-viewing schedule, her parents gave her career options.
Medical doctor, lawyer or an occupation connected to a doctorate.
Boggs obliged with psychology and law degrees. Along the way, she came full circle to the girl at GCU who loved nothing more than sports.
Boggs has run the Lopes' athletic department for two years but officially became Vice President of Athletics in April, when her father, David, showed his paternal pride by taking front-row announcement photos and four years after the passing of her mother, Kuanta, who enjoyed Boggs' 2015 hometown return and career ascension.
A decade ago, Boggs wanted to give her children, Aiden and Lilia, the best guidance as a stay-at-home mother. Today, she offers that example to an entire community as a working mother who leads the WAC's most successful athletic department of recent years and as one of four Asian Americans among 353Â Division I athletic directors. On Thursday, she was given the "Rising Star" award at AZ Big Media's ceremony for the "Most Influential Women in Arizona for 2021."
Boggs seized the best of both worlds, just as she did in the job at GCU. Boggs entered as a deputy athletic director to help foster the Lopes' transition to Division I and emerged as an athletic director who capitalized on GCU's culture to grow the department.
"I thought I was coming here to show everyone how to be a Division I institution," Boggs said. "Instead, I've learned a lot more from GCU about what a Division I institution should be."
Upon arrival, Boggs braced for the rigor of marrying academia with athletics in the steep transition to Division I.
She grinded to create a compliance department at Duke. She labored to guide Georgia State to Football Bowl Subdivision.
At GCU, her vision just kept running into cooperation.
"I got here and realized how different everything was," Boggs said. "When you do a transition, you have to get a lot of buy-in with a lot of people around campus. It's not easy because you're asking people who don't report to you and aren't under your umbrella to add more responsibilities to their plates and to reallocate their resources that they need for their initiatives. That never goes well."
Until her GCU tenure.
Boggs was greeted by Executive Vice Presidents Dr. Jennifer Lech and Sarah Boeder with relieving responses of "When do we need to get this done by?" and "What do we need to do to help?"
"It's not athletes vs. non-athletes," Boggs said. "It's just students and doing everything we can to help students. It's like another level from other universities of a genuine student-centered approach. Everyone's driving in the same direction."
The results include WAC Commissioner's Cups in the past three fully completed years. GCU won 11 conference titles in 2020-21 and reached five NCAA tournaments, including its first March Madness in Division I men's basketball.
"Jamie is tailor made for Grand Canyon," said Mario Moccia, who became WAC rival New Mexico State's athletic director as Boggs joined GCU. "It's just an unbelievably good fit. Jamie's intellect is off the charts."
Abilene Christian athletic director Allen Ward added, "She's a leader in our conference. She's very thoughtful, does a great job of analyzing situations and has good instincts. She just knows what is needed to advance a program and is making that happen. Grand Canyon is in very good hands."
Boggs' positive leadership won over new WAC members as she galvanized differing perspectives during conference expansion.
"She's one of those rising stars in the profession," Sam Houston State athletic director Bobby Williams said. "She's able to bring people together. I can see where she'd be very positive for relationships on campus with academics, alumni and especially student-athletes."
Boggs' influence reaches beyond GCU. She is the third-year vice chair of the NCAA Women's Basketball Oversight Committee, sits on the 40-member NCAA Division I Council and joined GCU President Brian Mueller to take the lead in WAC expansion.
"Jamie is very genuine about what she is doing and cares deeply about making sure she positions Grand Canyon and the entire league in a better place," said Stephen F. Austin athletic director Ryan Ivey, who forged the incoming Texas contingent. "That was evident throughout our courtship to the WAC and making sure it was the right move for everyone involved. She has a true grasp of what's going on nationally and has been a tremendous advocate for the WAC."
Boggs is a Phoenix inspiration, initially growing up 3 miles north of GCU when her parents emigrated from Thailand with a humble start. Her father became a neurosurgeon while her mother left a nursing career to raise Boggs and her siblings –Shane, an engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Llana, a dermatologist and Mohs surgeon at Ohio State.
Boggs' career path was a winding road that detoured after working for one month at a legal firm during law school.
"This is not for me," she thought. "The only thing I love is sports."
And it loved her back.
She interned for the Chicago White Sox and Orlando Magic. She worked for Sports Management Group Worldwide before a 17-year athletic administration career launched her to a position that married passion and potential.
Under her lead, GCU Athletics proved victorious as servant leaders, students and athletes.
"There's no place like GCU," Boggs said. "Higher education needs more places like this."
Reprinted from the August issue of GCU Magazine.
Â
Medical doctor, lawyer or an occupation connected to a doctorate.
Boggs obliged with psychology and law degrees. Along the way, she came full circle to the girl at GCU who loved nothing more than sports.
Boggs has run the Lopes' athletic department for two years but officially became Vice President of Athletics in April, when her father, David, showed his paternal pride by taking front-row announcement photos and four years after the passing of her mother, Kuanta, who enjoyed Boggs' 2015 hometown return and career ascension.A decade ago, Boggs wanted to give her children, Aiden and Lilia, the best guidance as a stay-at-home mother. Today, she offers that example to an entire community as a working mother who leads the WAC's most successful athletic department of recent years and as one of four Asian Americans among 353Â Division I athletic directors. On Thursday, she was given the "Rising Star" award at AZ Big Media's ceremony for the "Most Influential Women in Arizona for 2021."
Boggs seized the best of both worlds, just as she did in the job at GCU. Boggs entered as a deputy athletic director to help foster the Lopes' transition to Division I and emerged as an athletic director who capitalized on GCU's culture to grow the department.
"I thought I was coming here to show everyone how to be a Division I institution," Boggs said. "Instead, I've learned a lot more from GCU about what a Division I institution should be."
Upon arrival, Boggs braced for the rigor of marrying academia with athletics in the steep transition to Division I.
She grinded to create a compliance department at Duke. She labored to guide Georgia State to Football Bowl Subdivision.
At GCU, her vision just kept running into cooperation.
"I got here and realized how different everything was," Boggs said. "When you do a transition, you have to get a lot of buy-in with a lot of people around campus. It's not easy because you're asking people who don't report to you and aren't under your umbrella to add more responsibilities to their plates and to reallocate their resources that they need for their initiatives. That never goes well."
Until her GCU tenure.
Boggs was greeted by Executive Vice Presidents Dr. Jennifer Lech and Sarah Boeder with relieving responses of "When do we need to get this done by?" and "What do we need to do to help?"
"It's not athletes vs. non-athletes," Boggs said. "It's just students and doing everything we can to help students. It's like another level from other universities of a genuine student-centered approach. Everyone's driving in the same direction."
The results include WAC Commissioner's Cups in the past three fully completed years. GCU won 11 conference titles in 2020-21 and reached five NCAA tournaments, including its first March Madness in Division I men's basketball.
"Jamie is tailor made for Grand Canyon," said Mario Moccia, who became WAC rival New Mexico State's athletic director as Boggs joined GCU. "It's just an unbelievably good fit. Jamie's intellect is off the charts."
Abilene Christian athletic director Allen Ward added, "She's a leader in our conference. She's very thoughtful, does a great job of analyzing situations and has good instincts. She just knows what is needed to advance a program and is making that happen. Grand Canyon is in very good hands."
Boggs' positive leadership won over new WAC members as she galvanized differing perspectives during conference expansion.
"She's one of those rising stars in the profession," Sam Houston State athletic director Bobby Williams said. "She's able to bring people together. I can see where she'd be very positive for relationships on campus with academics, alumni and especially student-athletes."
Boggs' influence reaches beyond GCU. She is the third-year vice chair of the NCAA Women's Basketball Oversight Committee, sits on the 40-member NCAA Division I Council and joined GCU President Brian Mueller to take the lead in WAC expansion.
"Jamie is very genuine about what she is doing and cares deeply about making sure she positions Grand Canyon and the entire league in a better place," said Stephen F. Austin athletic director Ryan Ivey, who forged the incoming Texas contingent. "That was evident throughout our courtship to the WAC and making sure it was the right move for everyone involved. She has a true grasp of what's going on nationally and has been a tremendous advocate for the WAC."
Boggs is a Phoenix inspiration, initially growing up 3 miles north of GCU when her parents emigrated from Thailand with a humble start. Her father became a neurosurgeon while her mother left a nursing career to raise Boggs and her siblings –Shane, an engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Llana, a dermatologist and Mohs surgeon at Ohio State.
Boggs' career path was a winding road that detoured after working for one month at a legal firm during law school.
"This is not for me," she thought. "The only thing I love is sports."
And it loved her back.
She interned for the Chicago White Sox and Orlando Magic. She worked for Sports Management Group Worldwide before a 17-year athletic administration career launched her to a position that married passion and potential.
Under her lead, GCU Athletics proved victorious as servant leaders, students and athletes.
"There's no place like GCU," Boggs said. "Higher education needs more places like this."
Reprinted from the August issue of GCU Magazine.
Â
Kendra Potts Post Match Press Conference | GCU vs NAU 9.7.25
Monday, September 08
"Your Life Arizona" Featuring Vice President of Athletics Jamie Boggs
Thursday, September 04
Makaih Williams | Media Availability | 9.3.25
Thursday, September 04
Dusty Stromer | Media Availability | 9.3.25
Thursday, September 04