Florida State Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford announced Friday the hiring of Alycia (Lisa) Varytimidis as Senior Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) for FSU Athletics.
Varytimidis, a highly regarded athletic administrator and former indoor volleyball student-athlete and collegiate head coach, comes to Florida State from Austin Peay State University where she was most recently Deputy Director of Athletics for Student Welfare and Senior Woman Administrator (SWA).
Varytimidis was the primary contact and oversight of Austin Peay’s student-athlete experience and welfare and conduct issues. She also oversaw the athletic department’s internal operations including academics, compliance, athletic training and sports performance. She was the primary oversight of the Governors’ men’s and women’s basketball and tennis programs in addition to serving as the department’s liaison to the University Provost, Office of Student-Affairs, Housing and Office of Admissions.
In addition to her responsibilities with Title IX and Gender Equity as part of her role as SWA at Florida State, Varytimidis will oversee student-athlete development, compliance, and have sport oversight responsibilities.
“Lisa is an outstanding administrator with the student-first mindset that I was looking for in this position,” said Alford. “She has great experience in most areas of intercollegiate athletics including the valuable perspective of having been both a coach and a student-athlete. She will be a great asset to our executive team.”
Before her stint at Austin Peay began in 2018, Varytimidis spent five seasons in various roles at the University of Louisiana Monroe, including serving as ULM’s senior woman administrator and director of compliance. During her career at ULM, she had a variety of roles including oversight of several sports and both the academic and compliance offices. She also served as the Title IX Coordinator and Title IX sexual assault investigator.
Varytimidis was the Warhawks’ head volleyball coach from 2000-04 following head coaching stops at Nicholls State (1999-2000) and Bethune-Cookman (1997-99). She was an academic counselor and study hall coordinator at ULM from 2013-16.
“I’m excited about becoming a part of Seminoles Athletics,” Varytimidis said. “Florida State University and the Tallahassee community are rich in tradition and success, and I thank Michael Alford for affording me the opportunity to continue my passion for serving, motivating and developing a valuable group of individuals…Seminole student-athletes.”
Varytimidis played volleyball at Barton County Community College before playing her junior year at Georgia and her senior season at then-Northeast Louisiana University (now ULM). She earned her Master's degree in Sport Administration from Grambling State in 2006. From 2006-13, Varytimidis served as the athletic director in addition to being a coach and physical education instructor at Monroe's Grace Episcopal School.
She has given numerous presentations throughout her professional career, ranging from eligibility to Title IX., including a speech on African Americans in Sport Management and Their Experiences in Doctoral Programs in Nicosia, Cyprus.
