Van Horn Set to Retire After Nearly Four Decades of Making a Difference

Judy Van Horn has spent 36 years working as an administrator in intercollegiate athletics, including the last 15 as the Deputy Athletics Director for Internal Operations and Risk Management/Deputy Title IX coordinator at South Carolina. Now, she is retiring this month but still has some personal goals to accomplish.

“As I reflect on the past 15 years at the University of South Carolina and 36 years in collegiate athletics, I am filled with gratitude,” Van Horn said. “I have had the privilege of working alongside exceptional colleagues who are deeply committed to excellence and to enhancing the experience of student-athletes competing at the highest level. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to contribute to the success and growth of the institutions I served. I am especially grateful for the unwavering support of my family and for the opportunity to serve under nine outstanding athletics directors during a time of remarkable change in college athletics. Having a front-row seat to the evolution of our industry has been truly extraordinary.

“As I begin this next chapter, my immediate focus is on completing my dissertation and earning my Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy, while dedicating more time to my health and well-being. Looking ahead, I am excited to spend time with family, travel, and explore new opportunities to add value and make a positive impact. It has been an honor and privilege to serve in college athletics. As I begin this next chapter, I am excited about what lies ahead and firmly believe the best is yet to come.”

Van Horn came to South Carolina in 2011 after a nine-year stint at the University of Michigan where she served as Associate Athletics Director and Senior Women’s Administrator while overseeing the Office of Compliance Services. She had also worked as an athletics administrator at Michigan State and at her alma mater, Central Michigan.

While she is looking forward to the next phase of her life, there are things she will miss.

“I’ll miss the people,” Van Horn said. “The ability to deliver in a tight time frame and to deliver the goods. It’s always rewarding when you do what you say you can do, and you do it well. Excellence is very important to me. I have been involved in a lot of significant situations where I was a partner in the process, and I felt like I could make a difference.

“I enjoyed overseeing the Gamecock Sports Science area and the heads of those departments because all of them directly impact the experience of student-athletes. So, anything that I could do to make those directors more successful or have their operations more successful in the services we were able to provide the student-athletes was important to me.”

Van Horn enjoyed a remarkable career in what used to be a primarily male-dominated industry, and while intercollegiate athletics has changed in many ways throughout her career, she feels good about where South Carolina is as she moves on.

“I think we have the right leaders in the right seat in the bus here at the University of South Carolina,” Van Horn said. “They are poised to lead us through a very tumultuous time as good or better than any other college program in the country. That makes me feel good about the timing of stepping away because we are in great hands.

“I’m really thankful for having had a front row seat. I’ve seen a lot of changes. The challenges for college athletics have never been greater than they are today. We have the right leaders, and we have a great president as well.

“I’m not a person that looks back. Having the opportunity to work with amazing coaches who support their student-athletes has been tremendous. That’s why we all do what we do in college athletics. It’s all about the student-athletes and coaches. I’ve made so many great friends along the way.”

Van Horn and her husband, Dave, have three children and six grandchildren.