Dr. M. Grace Calhoun is in her third year as the Director of Athletics and Recreation at the University of Pennsylvania. In this role, Calhoun leads the University’s 33 varsity athletics programs, nearly 40 club programs, and broad-based intramural and recreational offerings for students, faculty and staff.
Calhoun’s first two years at Penn were highlighted by seven different teams winning Ivy League championships and two individuals winning NCAA titles. In addition, Penn has had 40 All-Americans, 68 individual NCAA Championship qualifiers, eight different coaches named Coach of the Year, 10 Ivy League Players of the Year, 37 Ivy League individual champions, and 68 first-team All-Ivy selections in Calhoun’s tenure.
During Calhoun’s second year at Penn, women’s rower Jenna Hebert became the first Penn student-athlete since 1984 and just the second since 1963 to be named a Rhodes Scholar, while Hebert and men’s fencer Shaul Gordon both earned NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships—just the second time in history Penn had two such recipients in the same year.
It was during Calhoun’s second year that she instituted “Champion Your Life” as the branding campaign for Penn Athletics. This brand is built on five core values: Character First; Aiming Big; Humility; Enjoyment; and Community Matters.
Toward those values, a major reinvestment has begun in Penn’s varsity teams with the goal of annually competing for conference titles and national recognition. Penn’s Sports Performance division is a national leader in the training, conditioning, and injury prevention of student-athletes through cutting-edge technology and a robust partnership with Penn Medicine. Off the field, Calhoun has launched a one-of-a-kind Student Development division that enhances the student-athlete experience through holistic programming in academics and life skills development. The Penn Athletics Wharton Leadership Academy ensures best in class leadership and character development of student-athletes. Additionally, Penn Athletics is engaging the Penn community through robust intramural and recreation offerings, spirited competitive events, and the largest track meet in the world in the Penn Relays.
Penn also surpassed its fundraising goal in 2015-16 under Calhoun's leadership, as the Champions Club raised $22.9 million from 6,300 donors. It is the third straight year that both the number of donors and dollars have increased.
Calhoun came to Penn from Loyola University Chicago, where she was Director of Athletics and Assistant Vice President. During her tenure, Calhoun expanded campus partnerships, led the Ramblers to their most successful all-sports finish in the modern era, garnered national media attention for the 50th anniversary of the Game of Change, and ended her tenure with a national championship in men’s volleyball. Calhoun also guided the University through a transition from the Horizon League to the Missouri Valley Conference. Prior to Loyola, Calhoun served for six years as Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator at Indiana University.
Winner of the 2009 Nell Jackson Administrator of the Year Award from the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA), Calhoun brings Ivy League experience as both a student-athlete and administrator. She graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with a degree in electrical engineering and competed on the track and field team and was the Associate Athletic Director for Administration and Compliance at Dartmouth College for three years. She has also served in leadership roles at Saint Francis University, the University of Florida and the Patriot League.
In addition to her bachelor's degree, Calhoun earned master's degrees from the University of Florida (exercise science) and Lehigh (MBA) and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Florida.
Calhoun and her husband Jason -- a PGA golf professional who is the head coach of the La Salle University women’s golf program -- have four daughters: Alexandra, Madeline, Eleanor and MaryKate.
