Army West Point Director of Athletics Mike Buddie has named Abigail Howard as Senior Associate Athletics Director & Corporate Counsel. Howard, who will serve as a member on the executive staff, arrives at Army West Point with over a decade of legal and administration experience spanning collegiate athletics, local government and USA Swimming.
As the Senior Associate Athletics Director & Corporate Counsel, Howard will oversee daily operations in the areas of legal affairs, employment contracts, policy & procedure, and diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives while consulting and providing guidance to the Director of Athletics on all matters of importance for Army West Point athletics. Howard will also serve as the sport administrator for selected programs.
Howard spent the previous four years at USA Swimming, Inc. in Colorado Springs, Colo., most recently as the Senior Director for Legal & Membership Affairs. She was responsible for the strategic vision and implementation of USA Swimming’s Safe Sport program, member services, diversity, equity and inclusion, and USA Swimming governance matters. She provided oversight and management to USA Swimming’s Membership Affairs division.
Before joining USA Swimming, Howard was the Associate Commissioner for Legal, Governance and Compliance/Senior Woman Administrator for the America East Conference from 2016-18. She represented the conference in all legal matters including contractual negotiations, licensing and sponsorship agreements, policies and procedures, and labor and employment issues as in-house counsel. She administered the conference’s compliance program, managed student-athlete academic programs, and coordinated NCAA legislation and governance strategy. She was the primary liaison to general counsels, senior woman administrators, compliance administrators, faculty athletics representatives, and academic advisors for the nine-member conference. She was also the sport administrator for men’s and women’s swimming and diving.
Howard also gained experience interpreting and enforcing rules while working at the NCAA office in the enforcement division. From 2008-12, she was the Assistant Director of Enforcement where she developed, investigated, and processed cases involving violations of NCAA Division I men’s basketball recruiting legislation.
In between stints at the NCAA office and the America East Conference, Howard was the Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office in Indianapolis from 2013-16.
Howard earned a B.S.B.A. with honors in marketing, transportation and logistics from the Ohio State University in 2005. She was a four-year letterwinner on the women’s swimming and diving team. She received her JD with a certificate in taxation from the University of Kansas School of Law in 2008.
