University of Wyoming Senior Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator Dr. China Jude was recently named to the 10th annual Sports Business Journal (SBJ) Game Changers: Women in Sports Business class.

Jude earned her Master of Sports Science degree in sports management from the United States Sports Academy in 1996 and was recognized as the institution’s distinguished Alumna of the Year in 2011. The 10th anniversary Game Changers class was announced in the SBJ print edition in August 2020 and will be featured in more detail in its 19 October edition. The class will be honored during a virtual conference on 27 October.

“To be included in this outstanding group of women in sports is very humbling,” said Jude.  “I want to thank the Sports Business Journal for recognizing the accomplishments of all these successful women in this year’s class of ‘Game Changers’.”

In a previous interview, Jude credited her Academy education with giving her the practical experience and knowledge to work at a high level in collegiate athletics administration.

“I started the Academy as someone who worked in sports, but left the Academy as a sports professional,” Jude said. “My time learning at the Academy gave me the practical experience I needed to work in the field, and it gave me the knowledge to be able to articulate my views, core values and priorities.

“The Academy showed me a global perspective of sports and taught me how to look at the issues with a wider lens. If anyone ever asks me about graduate schools, I always recommend the Academy. It transformed my life for the better and I couldn’t be more proud to be an Academy graduate.”

Jude joined the Wyoming staff in 2018 after working as the Assistant Vice President of Athletics and Athletics Director at Queens College in New York City. She currently serves as the President of the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA); Founder of the Women of Color Athletic Directors Network; Co-Chair on LEAD1 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group Planning Committee for the National Association of Collegiate Director of Athletics’ Social Justice Initiatives; and she is wrapping up her final year on the NCAA Women’s Soccer Committee.

Prior to her work at Queens College, Jude worked as the athletic director and department chair at Division II Cheyney University in Pennsylvania for four years. She is also a former college head volleyball coach at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and the University of the District of Columbia.

In 2015, Jude was named the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) Division II Administrator of the Year. She has also served as a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Executive Committee.

A native of Waukegan, Ill., Jude earned her Doctor of Education degree in athletic administration from Northcentral University in 2017. She holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Alabama State University, where she also played volleyball.