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Torain to Oversee Culture, Diversity and Engagement

NOTRE DAME, Indiana — Tenured athletics administrator Angie Torain has been named Senior Associate Athletics Director for Culture, Diversity and Engagement, Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick announced Tuesday. 

Torain previously served as Senior Associate Athletics Director over Compliance, Legal and Risk Management beginning in 2018 and Associate Athletics Director, Human Resources, Legal and Risk Management in 2017. 

“We are thrilled to have Angie accept this new challenge as our head of culture, diversity and engagement,” Swarbrick said. “She has the experience, passion and familiarity with Notre Dame Athletics to lead us as we accept the challenge of improving our culture and increasing our impact. I look forward to seeing the strides she will help us make as a department.”

In her new role, Torain will continue to have oversight of the department’s compliance function, while leading the athletic department’s “StaND Together” efforts. The “StaND Together” initiative focuses on six main avenues for change: Listen, Amplify, Focus, Diversify, Engage and Vote. Torain will coordinate and lead efforts for this movement based on the desire, initiatives and feedback from members of the Notre Dame Athletics community. 

“I am motivated by the passion of our student-athletes, coaches and staff for wanting to engage in tough conversations and make our department inclusive for all,” Torain expressed. “This is not a position that I’m taking on my own, as we have the whole department rallying to make an impact for Notre Dame, for our community and for our student-athletes.”

Torain is a 2020 graduate of the Sports Management Institute, an executive program for rising stars in athletics administration. The Elkhart, Indiana native, and former student-athlete at DePauw University, returned close to home in 2017 to join Notre Dame. She was a member of the cross country, track and basketball programs at Elkhart Central High School.

“Even though I grew up near South Bend, Notre Dame did not seem like an option for me,” Torain remembered. “What excites me about this new role is the opportunity to help others see that Notre Dame can be for them if they so desire.”

Torain came to Notre Dame after serving as Deputy Athletics Director and Senior Women’s Administrator (SWA) at the University of the Incarnate Word. Prior to her time at Incarnate Word, Torain was the Associate Commissioner for Administrative Services at the Summit League, where she led the league’s strategic planning initiatives and was liaison for the NCAA Certification Program for member schools. 

During her tenure at the Summit League, Torain — a 1997 graduate of Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law — also served as an adjunct professor of sports law at Northern Illinois University.

Torain also previously served as Associate Athletics Director and SWA at IUPUI, where she assisted with the development and management of the athletic budget, reviewed department contracts and acted as liaison for human resources, student housing and financial aid, and new athletic construction. 

She has previously served in two stints with the NCAA, first as Assistant Director of Enforcement/Secondary Violations (1999-2002) and then as Assistant Director of Championships (2006-07). From 2002-06, Torain was the Assistant Commissioner for Institutional Services, Championship Administrator and SWA for the Mid-Continent Conference (now the Summit League).

Torain began her collegiate athletics career as the Director of Compliance at the Horizon League (then known as the Midwestern Collegiate Conference). She has served on numerous NCAA committees and graduated from the NCAA Pathway Program in 2016. She has been a member of NACWAA since 1998 and was a 2001 NACWAA/HERS graduate. She has also volunteered her time at local food and clothing banks and mentoring programs.

She is a 1994 graduate of DePauw University, where she earned a degree in sociology and was a basketball and track and field student-athlete. Torain and her husband, Kyle, reside locally and have three daughters. 

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