Title IX Spotlight: Theresa Andrews
Today marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the U.S. legislation enacted to ensure: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
As part of the Southeastern Conference's celebration, the conference will spotlight former student-athletes that have gone on to successful careers outside of athletics.
The first is former Florida swimmer Theresa Andrews. A three-time NCAA champion and 18-time All-American, Andrews helped Florida win its first NCAA women's swimming and diving national championship in 1982. It was also the first women's NCAA title in any sport for the SEC, as the 1981-82 academic year was the first year the NCAA crowned national champions in women's athletics.
She also captured back-to-back SEC titles in the 50-yard and 100-yard backstroke and was part of four conference title winning relay teams in 1982 and 1983.
Prior to joining Florida for the 1981-82 season, Andrews attended Indiana University, Bloomington for a year. During the 1980-81 season, Andrews won six Big Ten titles and participated in six events at the 1981 Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) championships.
Following her collegiate career, Andrews earned gold medals in the 100m backstroke and as a part of the 400m medley relay team at the 1984 Olympics. Her 100-meter victory was voted in 2005 as No. 6 out of the 10 great upsets in Olympic swimming history.
After receiving her degree from Florida, Andrews worked for several years at a rehabilitation hospital in Washington. She then received her master's degree in social work from Ohio State.
Currently working at Humana as Associate Vice President for Guidance Centers, she's been with the company for over seven years. In her position she works with the Humana's Neighborhood Centers, which offer programs and activities designed to help improve physical and mental health of the elderly.
Before Humana, Andrews worked with Bank of America for almost 15 years. As Bank of America's Vice President, Consumer Market Manager in Consumer Banking, she was responsible for overseeing sales, service, operations and people for 15 banking centers in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Andrews formerly served as a senior clinical social worker at the University of Virginia Health Science Center from 1992 to 1999.
In 2008, she earned the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, which recognizes former student-athletes who completed successful collegiate careers in various sports and have excelled in their chosen professions. The award acknowledges the former student-athletes on their 25th anniversary of completing their athletics eligibility. The recipients are chosen by the NCAA Honors Committee, which is composed of athletics administrators and former student-athletes.