INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) has named Elizabeth Ramsey as the recipient of the 2022 Dr. Charles Bertram Alumni Award of Distinction, it was announced by the Conference office on Wednesday. A former women’s basketball student-athlete at the University of Indianapolis, Ramsey will be formally recognized by the Conference at the Enterprise Rent-A-Car GLVC Spring Awards Reception in St. Louis on Tuesday, May 24.
Ramsey was nominated by the Greyhounds’ administration, led by senior associate Athletics Director Matt Donovan, and voted as this year’s honoree by the GLVC Awards Committee.
The Bertram Alumni Award of Distinction is an honor that extends beyond one’s collegiate career. It is presented to an individual(s) that displays academic excellence, athletic ability and achievement, character, and leadership, while serving their institutions with personal distinction since their graduation, while also making postgraduate public or community service contributions to athletics at any level.
A 2001 graduate of UIndy, Ramsey has gone on to work as the Executive Director of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Athletes’ Advisory Council (AAC). As Executive Director, Ramsey is responsible for working with the elected volunteer leadership to establish strategic goals and advance relationships between Team USA athletes, the AAC, the USOPC, and other key stakeholders.
In addition to working with the USOPC, Ramsey previously worked with the Sacramento Kings of the NBA in their front office as the Director of Basketball Operations and Intelligence. While with the Kings, she oversaw information gathering on every current player and prospect associated with the franchise. In her role with Sacramento, Ramsey worked closely with the assistant general manager, managing the scouting department’s operations and gathering intel on prospects. Ramsey also was a member of the NBA Women in Basketball Operations Committee and was an integral part in establishing the league’s first-ever NBA Women in Basketball Operations Forum.
After obtaining her Bachelor of Arts in psychology and political science in 2001, Ramsey went on to earn a law degree from Indiana University. With her law degree, she went on to work for the NCAA as a law clerk for over 10 years. In that time, she investigated thousands of NCAA violations while also educating hundreds of institutions on how to play within an equal rulebook for the National office.
During her time in Indianapolis from 1998-2001, Ramsey was a four-time letterwinner on the Greyhound women’s basketball team. While playing for UIndy, she was a three-time All-GLVC selection, including having a stellar year in 2000-01 with being named First Team All-GLVC, making the All-Tournament Team, and receiving recognition by CoSIDA on the All-Region Second Team. Ramsey’s named is printed all over the UIndy women’s basketball record book, ranking first all-time in eight different categories at one point. To this day, in addition to joining the 1,000-point club, Ramsey still holds the school record for career points (1,887), field goals (701), rebounds (973), rebounding average (9.1), double-doubles (50), and consecutive double-doubles (7). Named the 1999-2000 UIndy Female Athlete of the Year, as well as the 2001 GLVC Richard F. Scharf Paragon Award winner, Ramsey was inducted into the UIndy Hall of Fame in 2017.
The GLVC’s Alumni Award of Distinction is named in remembrance of Dr. Charles Bertram. Dr. Bertram served as a professor and faculty athletic representative at the University of Southern Indiana and was a former president of the GLVC. He contributed a great deal of time, energy, and effort to the league’s success and was instrumental in Conference operations for many years.
Past recipients of the Dr. Charles Bertram Alumni of Distinction Award include Julie (Thoman) Perry, Jim Thordsen, Keith Bailey, Deb DiMatteo, Dr. Alex Lentsch, Dr. Sandra Magnus, Pat White, Dennis Reinbold, Dr. David Porta, Dr. Steven Giles, Julie Fruendt, Dr. Jane Weaver, Jim Vargo, LuAnn Humphrey, Dr. Michael Bernier, Lois Taurman, Larry Tucker, Ron Romain, John Gibson, Francis G. Slay, Linda Deno, Pat Sullivan, and Dr. Paul Stricker.