CHICAGO (May 31, 2024) – UIC associate athletics director for marketing and ticket sales Nina Goodhue is among a select group of college athletics professionals chosen by the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) to receive the 2024 Mike Cleary Stipend, the organization announced recently. Goodhue and her fellow Cleary Stipend recipients will attend the 2024 NACMA Convention June 9-12 in Las Vegas.
 
The NACMA stipend program was named for 2012 for Cleary, who served as the Executive Director for the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) for that organization's first 46 years before his retirement in 2011 and transition to Director Emeritus. Committed to the development of young professionals throughout his career, Cleary also served as President of the John McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation and the Michael J. Cleary Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the National Football Foundation (NFF) until his passing in December 2015.
 
"I am deeply honored to receive this award and carry forward the legacy of Mike Cleary and his enduring values," Goodhue said. "UIC has been a cornerstone of my career and I am excited to apply the insights I gain from NACMA to benefit our Flames Family — a community that has warmly embraced me."
 
"We're delighted to provide Convention stipends to this exceptional group of up-and-coming marketing professionals," stated NACMA President and Virginia Tech Executive Associate AD/External Affairs and Advancement, Brad Wurthman. "We are thrilled to pay tribute to Mr. Cleary's legacy by nurturing the development of young professionals. Our annual Convention in Las Vegas presents an ideal platform for this talented team of marketers to further their career growth."
 
Goodhue is in her second year at UIC, where she oversees all marketing efforts for the Flames' 18 varsity sports programs, while working closely with other units within the UIC athletics external operations team to maximize game day attendance, ticket sales and student engagement. She also serves as the administrator for the UIC cheer and dance programs, has helped reimagine and coordinate UIC's year-end all-sports gala known as The SPARKYS, and she is the athletics department's liaison to a variety of campus organizations.
 
Prior to arriving at UIC, Goodhue was Senior Assistant Director of 6 Points Sports Academy, the nation's first and largest overnight Jewish sports camp. At 6 Points, she oversaw the recruitment, retention and sale of over 850 athletes yearly. She also managed the creation and implementation of various digital media campaigns across social media platforms, as well as building out a customer journey that doubled the number of new athletes in one year.
 
Goodhue earned her degree in marketing and sports management from the DePaul University Driehaus College of Business in 2019. While at DePaul, she served as a student manager for the Blue Demons' men's basketball team.
 
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