A member of the University of South Florida Athletic Department for 26 years, Barbara Sparks-McGlinchy advanced from the role of business manager to the position of Senior Associate Athletic Director.  During her tenure, USF added several sports including women's soccer, women’s sailing and football.

 

Barbara was the administrator for nine of the 18 athletic teams at USF, including men’s baseball, golf, soccer and tennis and women’s golf, sailing, softball, tennis and volleyball. She, additionally, directed several internal departments and served as USF Athletics Senior Woman Administrator with oversight for Title IX compliance.

 

Barbara was one of a group of six individuals who presented the Tampa Bay bid to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Committee to host the NCAA Women’s Final Four. The event was held, for the first time, in Tampa, in 2008.

 

Barbara served on the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Business/Finance Cabinet, and was USF's representative to the State of Florida Council on Equity in Athletics from 1985 to 2001. Additionally, she served on a variety of Conference committees. She retired from USF in 2008 and, subsequently, was hired as the Executive Director for the Greater Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce, a position she held for four years. 

 

She currently serves on the Board of USF’s Women in Leadership and Philanthropy. She is a past president of the St. Vincent de Paul Conference at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, she serves on the USF Athletics Varsity Club Board, and is a past president and board member of the Sports Club of Tampa Bay.

 

Barbara has a BA in Business Management and a Master's degree in Guidance and Counselor Education from the University of South Florida. She has three grown children and resides in Temple Terrace, Florida with her husband, John McGlinchy.