Suzi Katz-Slowinski
Director, Southeast Region
(407) 823-3555
Suzi Katz-Slowinski became Director of the NCAS’ Southeast Region in 1997. Located at the University of Central Florida, the NCAS’ Southeast Office is responsible for overseeing members in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
As Director, Katz’ responsibilities are two-fold. She coordinates the efforts of the NCAS’ Southeast Region and oversees the outreach portion of the DeVos Sport Business Management Graduate Program. In addition, she helps coordinate portions of the Hope for Stanley Program.
Katz coordinated the NCAS National and Regional Conferences for six years and is currently a member of its National Planning Committee as well as the Giant Steps Awards & Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Committee.
In 1997, Katz also became the National Coordinator for National STUDENT-Athlete Day and the Giants Steps Awards program. Since that time the program has grown to recognize 2,425,860 college, high school and middle school student-athletes. Katz led the first-ever brand campaign leading to the development of the National STUDENT-Athlete Day logo, an interactive website for high schools and colleges nationwide (www.nsad.cc) and a marketing plan for National STUDENT-Athlete Day. In celebration of National STUDENT-Athlete Day, Katz was an invited guest of President Bill Clinton at the White House in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
Katz has created many relationships in the community which has allowed UCF’s student-athletes to get involved throughout Orlando. They’ve participated in Special Spectators, The Miracle League, visited patients at Florida Children’s Hospitals, participated in Red Ribbon Week, visited the Salvation Army Women and Children’s Living Center and Orange County Public Schools, and volunteered for Second Harvest Food Pantry, Hands on Orlando and Habitat for Humanity. Since 1997, the NCAS and UCF student-athletes have reached over 40,000 individuals in the community and a record number of student-athletes have been involved.
In 1997 Katz was named as the Class of 1992’s Distinguished Alumni in the Fitchburg State College Centennial Graduation Ceremonies. In 1999, Suzi was named as a Sports Ethics Fellow by the Institute for International Sport. That same year she was also awarded the first-ever Fitchburg State College Alumni Leadership Award and in 1999 she was chosen as one of Orlando’s Fifty Finest Single Professionals by Orlando Magazine and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Prior to her position at Central Florida, Katz spent over four years at Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society ending as its Director of Special Projects. Katz earned her Bachelor of Science degree in communications/media from Fitchburg State College in 1992 and her Masters of Science in sports management from Northeastern University in 1995.
Katz, originally from Boston, is a professional figure skating coach and volunteers to teach kids four times per week. She currently resides in Orlando with her husband Jay Slowinski and their daughter Maia Alexandra Katz Slowinski (7 years).