Karen Peters was promoted to Deputy Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator in 2022 after previously serving as Senior Associate Athletic Director. She joined the department as an Associate AD in the spring of 2006. She serves as the deputy director of the department, and oversees student-athlete and program support, including academics, compliance, student-athlete development, recruiting, and sports performance. She also serves as lead sport administrator for all 16 varsity programs, providing oversight and support to sport supervisors and head coaches; and serving as the direct supervisor for men’s soccer and indoor/beach volleyball. Peters also manages a variety of senior-level administrative areas, including the strategic plan, HR, Title IX, and Recreation.
Peters served as the Interim Athletic Director for the Pilots from January-June of 2012, overseeing the completion of the Chiles Center renovation during that time. She was also instrumental in the development of rowing as a varsity sport at UP, with that program now in its sixth year. Peters has represented UP on a variety of NCAA and WCC committees, including current membership on the NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship Committee, chairing the WCC External Relations Committee the past two years, and serving as the West Coast Conference representative on the NCAA Legislative Council from 2008-2011.
Peters is a 2013 graduate of the Women Leaders Executive Institute, and was honored as the Women Leaders Division I Administrator of the Year in 2013. She is also a 2008 graduate of the NCAA Fellows (now Pathway) Program, and a 2014 graduate of the DIA Institute. She has served as a faculty member at the Women Leaders Institute for Administrative Advancement, and organized a 2018 Regional Workshop for the Alliance of Women Coaches.
Prior to joining the staff at UP Peters spent ten years at Stanford University, where she completed her tenure as the Assistant Director of Athletics for Eligibility and Recruiting. In that position she supervised the eligibility process for all 34 varsity sports and served as the department’s liaison to undergraduate admissions, while overseeing the men’s and women’s gymnastics programs. Peters also held positions as the Assistant Director of Student Services and the Administrative Associate for Compliance while at Stanford.
Prior to working at Stanford, Peters served as the administrative intern for the Ivy League, working in Compliance and Student Services at Columbia University in New York, N.Y. She began her athletics career working in media relations as a student assistant at New Mexico State University.
In February of 1995, Peters received her Master of Science in Sport Management from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she was the recipient of the NCAA Women’s Enhancement Program Post-Graduate Scholarship. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Journalism from New Mexico State University in May of 1993.
Peters is married to Chris Putman, the public address announcer for several Pilot sports, as well as various WCC and NCAA post-season events. They have a son, Casey, and reside in Portland.