University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2023
Having spent over four decades in college athletic administration, Julie Bright spent the majority of her career with the purple and gold, helping oversee business operations for UNI's athletic department and the UNI-Dome.
A 1975 UNI graduate with a degree in business-marketing, Bright started as the first permanent employee of the newly opened UNI-Dome in April 1976 overseeing business operations for a wide variety of special events, including many sold out concerts. Her focus shifted to Panther athletic business management in 1985 while still having financial oversight of UNI-Dome operations. Bright's duties included budget development and management, financial reporting and travel. She coordinated football and basketball conference and NCAA postseason travel, including the football program's national championship game appearance in 2005. Bright established UNI's trademark licensing program in the 1990s as a new athletics revenue stream, federally registering the existing wordmarks and logos, and coordinating the design development for the current Panther logos.
Bright was a pioneer in the world of college business and was a member of the College Athletic Business Management Association (CABMA) for 34 years. She served several years on its executive committee and was elected president of the organization during the 2000-01 school year. She was named CABMA's Manager of the Year in 2001. She was also recognized in 2002 with the Iowa Board of Regents Staff Excellence Award for her work representing UNI.
By the time she departed UNI in 2006, Bright had served under five athletic directors, and been elevated to the role of Senior Associate Athletic Director/Senior Women's Administrator. Bright served as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Administration at Iowa State University from 2006 until her retirement in 2019, where she served as the department's chief financial officer and oversaw accounting and business services, as well as travel, human resources, equipment services, technical/video services, information technology, construction projects and management of Hilton Coliseum. During her run at ISU, she also served on the executive committee for the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). In recognition of her long and distinguished career, she was honored in 2019 with CABMA's Kenneth E. Farris, Sr. Award for her lifetime achievement in athletic business management.
Enjoying retirement, Julie currently resides in New Hartford, Iowa, with her husband David.
