Dr. Liz Gregg, sport management professor, selected for The Anita Aldrich Distinguished Alumni Award

We are proud to celebrate the accomplishments of Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Gregg, a College of Education and Human Services sport management professor, who has been selected as the recipient of The Anita Aldrich Distinguished Alumni Award by the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington. This distinguished accolade is presented annually to an outstanding graduate of the School of Public Health-Bloomington, in recognition of significant contributions to the field of public health science. It is named in honor of Dr. Anita Aldrich, who served on the faculty of the school from 1964 to 1985 and was widely recognized as an educational pioneer and champion for the cause of women in higher education, and athletics.  

Dr. Gregg earned a BS from the University of Evansville in sport studies, and she obtained two MS degrees (kinesiology, and higher education and student affairs) as well as a PhD in human performance from Indiana University. During her undergraduate years, Dr. Gregg played Division I Golf and earned her private pilot’s license. Her dissertation, titled ‘A History of Women’s Intercollegiate Athletics at Indiana University: 1965-2001', chronicled the evolution and formalization of the IU women’s athletic program and received support twice from the SPH Ruth Engs Doctoral Research Fellowship. Dr. Anita Aldrich is a central figure in the history of IU women’s intercollegiate athletics and remains one of Dr. Gregg’s formative role models.   

Dr. Gregg credits educators, including those in her own family, for shaping her core values. She became an educator to give back to society and help young people improve their overall well-being and societal standing. During her time as an assistant professor at Jacksonville University, she served as the graduate program coordinator for educational leadership and as a department chair. Thanks to strong female leadership, particularly that of Dean Jennifer Kane at UNF, who recognized her potential, Dr. Gregg was appointed as the assessment coordinator for the Taylor Leadership Institute immediately upon arrival. These early leadership experiences allowed her to gain a deep understanding of how higher education operates. Four months after her early promotion to associate professor, she was appointed as the chair of leadership, school counseling, and sport management. During her time as chair, Dr. Gregg hired and mentored women in the fields of school counseling, educational leadership, higher education, and sport management. Coincident with her promotion to full professor, she was invited to establish and direct a university-wide research institute focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.  

Dr. Gregg’s research focuses on the advancement of women in athletics and higher education. She has published and presented on topics spanning Title IX, diversity in sport, pay inequity, and the experience of student-athletes. Her work on the status of female student-athletes is intimately connected with her work in intercollegiate athletics and leadership development. Her role as secretary of the Northeast Florida Chapter of Girls on the Run and associated volunteer work has allowed her to support thousands of young women as they develop their self-confidence, physical fitness, emotional well-being, and communication skills. She enjoys teaching undergraduate students about the history of women in sport, shedding light on pioneers in intercollegiate athletics. Her graduate assistant and mentee is the pilot student for the first three-manuscript dissertations at UNF. Dr. Gregg resides in Jacksonville, FL, with her spouse Katie Haft (IU SPH, 2010), also a career higher education employee and proud Hoosier.