ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy, president of Missouri Western State University, has appointed Dr. Natalie Mikita as Missouri Western's faculty athletics representative. Dr. Mikita is an associate professor of chemistry.

"The faculty athletics representative is a vital part of Griffon Athletics, serving as a liaison between athletics and the rest of campus," Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy said. "I know Dr. Mikita will be an effective advocate for our student-athletes, helping ensure we continue to make their academic performance our top priority. I'm grateful to her for accepting this important role."

"Dr. Mikita is a great fit to our leadership team," said Andy Carter, director of athletics. "The faculty athletics representative is a vital voice in everything we do in the athletic realm. I am grateful for her desire to be part of our team and her willingness to serve."

"I'm thrilled to be a part of athletics. I've been involved in sports my whole life, so this feels like a great fit for me," Dr. Mikita said. I've learned skills playing on teams that I never would have learned in the classroom, so I know the value of a team to a student-athlete. I'm excited to help student-athletes navigate challenges that arise in their academics and promote Missouri Western athletics and academics to the community."

The faculty athletics representative is a position required by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. At Missouri Western, the representative advises the president on matters related to athletics, works with the associate athletic director for compliance to monitor the eligibility of student-athletes, represents Missouri Western at NCAA and MIAA meetings and serves as a voting delegate in the president's absence, and serves on search committees for senior athletic department administrators and head coaches, among other duties.

Dr. Mikita has been at Missouri Western since 2016. She previously taught at Pennsylvania State University Erie and South University in Cleveland, Ohio. A native of Medina, Ohio, near Cleveland, she earned her doctorate in chemistry from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and bachelor degrees in chemistry and life science from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio.

In the community, Dr. Mikita volunteers for the Friends of the Animal Shelter, Junior League of St. Joseph and the United Way Allocations Committee.