 | Position:
Associate Commissioner - Governance & Compliance
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Sarah Wilhelmi serves as the Associate Commissioner for Governance and Compliance. In this role. she manages the conference's compliance and student-athlete services programs and assists with other WCC governance issues.
Wilhelmi joined the WCC as the Director of Compliance and Student Services on October 7, 2008 after previously serving as the Assistant Director of Compliance Services at Stanford University.
In her position with Compliance and Student Services, Wilhelmi was responsible for the conference's adherence to NCAA rules and regulations and for the continued development and maintenance of the conference's compliance program. Wilhelmi serves as the staff liaison to the Academics, Legislation and Compliance Cabinet, Compliance Directors Advisory Group, Academic Advisors Best Practices Group, Champs/Life Skills Best Practices Group and the Sportsmanship Task Force. In addition, Wilhelmi works with the WCC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) to oversee efforts to enhance the student-athlete experience. Wilhelmi was recently appointed as the WCC liaison to cross country.
In her role at Stanford, Wilhelmi provided NCAA and Pac-10 rules interpretations to student-athletes and the athletic department, investigated potential rules violations, and developed a plan to educate prospects, student-athletes, and administration on NCAA rules. She also handled eligibility waivers, conducted student-athlete progress-towards-degree evaluations, and handled amateurism inquiries.
Wilhelmi has been involved in NCAA compliance for more than five years as she got her start as a student services administrative assistant at her alma mater, the University of Iowa. At Iowa, she created NCAA compliance educational materials for the athletic department, developed the compliance and student services operations manual, and tracked recruiting verification for student-athlete hosts.
Following her work at the University of Iowa, Wilhelmi served as a Membership Services intern at the NCAA national offices in Indianapolis, where she issued interpretations to the public and NCAA member institutions and conferences. She also processed progress-towards-degree, initial eligibility, and subcommittee for legislative relief waivers. Wilhelmi provided supported the Olympic Sports Liaison Committee and the Student-Athlete Well-Being Task Force.
While a student at Iowa, Wilhelmi competed on the track and field team and served as the institution's SAAC chair and representative to the Big Ten conference. She was also a four-time Academic All-American and All-Big Ten Academic selection. Wilhelmi qualified for the NCAA Track and Field National Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 2003 and 2004.
After receiving her Bachelor's in business administration, she continued on at the University of Iowa and earned a Master's in health and sport studies in 2005.
Wilhelmi resides in San Mateo, Calif., with her husband Chris and daughters Audrey (1) and Lucy (born October, 2014).