On March 8, NIU Athletic Director Cary Groth announced she will take the athletic director position at the University of Nevada in Reno.

Groth, 47, has been NIU’s athletic director for the past 10 years. She is expected to begin her duties April 15 at Nevada, where she signed a six-year contract.

NIU President John Peters said he will name an interim athletic director in the next few weeks and then begin a national search for a replacement.

“I love it here and I love the people I work with,” Groth said, “but sometimes change is good. I thought that I’ve never lived anywhere else in this country, and it’s a beautiful part of the country, and it’s a good opportunity for me. It’s a good opportunity for Northern as well. When someone else comes here, they will hopefully continue to find ways to elevate the program.”

Groth is one of only five female athletic directors in the NCAA’s Division IA. She will replace Nevada’s athletic director, Chris Ault, who had been athletic director since 1986. Ault resigned in December to become head football coach. Nevada participates in the Western Athletic Conference.

“[Nevada has] a pretty strong commitment with their facilities,” Groth said, “and they have some money to remodel and build up their facilities; these are external dollars, not from student fees.”

Groth began her run as NIU’s athletic director on Aug. 8, 1994, when former President John La Tourette appointed her. A graduate of NIU, she earned her bachelor’s degree in 1978 and master’s degree in adult education in 1999. She returned to NIU in 1991 as an assistant tennis coach.

Groth began doing national work for Title IX in 2002, when she was named to the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, a 15-member blue ribbon panel described as “examining ways of strengthening enforcement and expanding opportunities to ensure fairness for all college athletics.”

“It’s a great opportunity for her that obviously she couldn’t pass up,” said Robert Collins, NIU associate athletic director. “I believe the salary is better, the facilities may be better and you can be at a place only so long; maybe she wanted a change of scenery. Maybe she felt like she had done all she can do at NIU.

“She has done many positive things. Where can I start?” Collins said. “First and foremost, being a national figure in gender equity is great. Then, when your football team improves year by year to where we are an excellent program, you have to give her all the credit in the world for being a part of that. Things that have brought her to the forefront nationally have also put Northern Illinois under a microscope in a positive way. We’ve had some growth in our facilities, and obviously, she has had a lot to do with the Convocation Center becoming a reality.”

Collins said he and the NIU athletics staff will meet with Peters and his staff throughout the week for updates on the plans for a replacement.