Today the leader of one of the nation’s prominent athletic departments, Brevard College alumna Beth Goetz ‘94 found her start in college athletics as a Tornado student-athlete in the early 1990’s. Goetz, a member of the Brevard College Athletics Hall of Fame, is currently the director of athletics at the University of Iowa, one of the top athletic administration jobs in college sports.
The first female athletic director in the history of the University of Iowa (overseeing both men’s and women’s sports), Goetz is one of only two female ADs currently in the Big Ten Conference. Further, she is one of just seven current female athletic directors in the NCAA’s “Power Four” conferences (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, SEC).
With Homecoming this month, Goetz reflected upon how Brevard College has been incredibly meaningful to her journey.
“I can’t appropriately describe the impact that Brevard had on me,” said Goetz. “It’s a very special place.”
A standout youth soccer player in the St. Louis area, Goetz first visited Brevard as a high school student for an indoor soccer tournament and a tour of BC. During that initial visit, Goetz fell in love with the beauty of the area and was introduced to Head Women’s Soccer Coach Joe Bartlinski (Brevard College Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2008). Soon thereafter, Goetz became one of several women’s soccer student-athletes who at that time created a pipeline between Brevard and St. Louis, one of the most vibrant youth soccer markets in the country.
Goetz committed to BC and began her collegiate career as a freshman in the fall of 1992. Brevard College quickly became the perfect fit for the St. Louis native.
“While I grew up in a big city, I loved the outdoors,” said Goetz. “Brevard was such a quaint place where everyone was welcoming and friendly. I picture myself looking from my dorm room to the beautiful view of the creek and the soccer pitch.”
Between academics, soccer and serving as a resident advisor on campus, Goetz was able to grow as a student-athlete and a leader throughout her years at BC.
“The opportunities that Coach Bart (Bartlinski) and the rest of campus provided taught me how to find my own voice and my own confidence,” recalled Goetz. “With soccer, I learned so much in terms of learning to play the game and rising to a different level of toughness. Looking back, I was able to gain experience and leadership skills from so many areas of the college.”
Goetz concluded her time at Brevard as a leader on a nationally ranked Tornado team that went 14-4 during her freshman season. As a sophomore, she scored 17 goals en route to being named an NJCAA Second-Team All-American. In the spring of 1994, Goetz graduated from Brevard College (then a two-year college) with an Associate of Arts degree, then headed to NCAA Division I Clemson University where she continued her soccer career and earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1996.
At Clemson, Goetz began coaching soccer at camps and soon was named assistant coach at University of Missouri-St. Louis. Just one year later, she was named head coach at UMSL where she eventually took on administrative duties as well being named assistant athletic director and senior woman administrator (SWA). While at Missouri-St. Louis, Goetz also earned a Master’s degree.
In 2008, Goetz was named associate athletic director at the University of Butler where she worked closely with men’s basketball coach Brad Stevens, who went on to coach the Boston Celtics and now serves as Boston’s president of basketball operations.
Goetz continued to rise up the ranks in college athletics with stops at the University of Minnesota (Deputy Athletics Director/SWA, 2013-15; Interim AD, 2015-16), UConn (Chief Operation Officer/SWA, 2016-18) and Ball State University (Director of Athletics, 2018-22).
In September 2022, Goetz joined the University of Iowa athletic staff as deputy director of athletics and chief operating officer. A year later, she was named interim director of athletics before being named director of athletics in January of 2024.
While at the helm of the Iowa athletic department, Goetz has led the Hawkeye athletic programs to major success including back-to-back national championships in women’s wrestling. Under her helm as AD, seven Hawkeye teams have advanced to postseason play in each of the past two seasons.
Most notably in the 2023-24 season, the Iowa women’s basketball program became the focal point of the sports world as consensus National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark led the Hawkeyes to 34 wins in front of sellout crowds at every home game and nearly every road contest.
Goetz continues her role at the University of Iowa, while remaining reflective and grateful for the start of her journey at Brevard College. Her experience at Brevard was such a success that one of her younger sisters became a Tornado just a few years later.
Katie Steelman, formerly Katie Goetz, decided to follow in her older sister’s footsteps by coming to Brevard College to play women’s soccer for Coach Bartlinski. Steelman graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from BC in 2003.
“Brevard is always going to have a special place in my heart,” said Goetz. “It will always mean a lot to me and to my family with the two of us going there. I can’t wait for our next chance to go back whether it’s just to drive through campus or to go through Pisgah.”
In 2017, Goetz was inducted into the Brevard College Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2022, she was named the NCAA Division I FBS Nike Executive of the Year by Women Leaders in College Sports.
Female “Power Four” Athletic Directors (as of 10/16/25)
Beth Goetz, Iowa (Brevard College Class of 1994)
Jennifer Cohen, USC
Nina King, Duke
Desiree Reed-Francois, Arizona
Candice Storey Lee, Vanderbilt
Carla Williams, Virginia
Keli Zinn, Rutgers