USM’s Darby Elected to NIRSA Position

Mon, 02/24/2020 - 01:15pm | By: David Tisdale

Jason Darby, associate director of programs for campus recreation at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM), was recently elected Region II representative to the NIRSA (National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association) National Board.

According to its mission statement, NIRSA is a leader in higher education and the advocate for the advancement of recreation, sport, and wellness by providing educational and developmental opportunities, generating and sharing knowledge, and promoting networking and growth for its members.

Darby has been affiliated with NIRSA since 2012. He entered into NIRSA leadership as the State Student Leader for Virginia during his final year in graduate school, and served on the NIRSA Assembly in an open seat during the 2014–2015 term. He has also served on various NIRSA work teams and committees, and served as its Florida State Director from 2016–2018. He currently serves on the NIRSA’s Wasson Award Selection Committee, and Young Donor Work Team as part of the NIRSA Foundation.

As the Region II Representative, Darby will be working with the state directors and student leaders in the region to further educational and professional development opportunities for professionals and students working in the field of collegiate recreation. He will also be the liaison between NIRSA members in the region and NIRSA policy makers on the national level on issues affecting campus recreation departments, and ensuring that members in the region have the resources and information they need.

“NIRSA has provided me with countless opportunities to grow as a professional, and I’m looking forward to giving back to the organization to help other students and professionals in their roles,” Darby said.

Darby joined the USM Campus Recreation staff in 2019. He began his career in campus recreation as a student at the University of Mississippi, working with intramural sports, sport clubs, and facility operations. Upon graduation he worked as a competitive sports intern at the University of California, Los Angeles before serving as graduate assistant of intramural sports and special events at James Madison University in Virginia. During his graduate career, he also served as the facility operations intern for a summer at the University of Mississippi.

After graduating with his master’s in campus recreation leadership in 2014, he accepted a position at Florida Southern College, where he served for five years in multiple roles, including as assistant director of wellness.

At USM, Darby is responsible for helping facilitate and run all of USM Campus Recreation programming aspects, including fitness programming, intramural sports, club sports, outdoor adventure and aquatics programming. He also serves as chair of its Risk Management Committee, and provides instruction for its CPR and First Aid certification courses.

“USM has had a strong, historical lineage of leadership and role modeling within the NIRSA campus recreation community,” said Dr. Denny Bubrig, assistant vice president for student affairs. “Jason has been a solid ambassador for USM on a regional and national level since he came onboard, and an added value to the USM campus recreation team.”

Darby is active in extramural tournaments, serving on numerous all-tournament and officials committees across flag football and basketball, and served as a clinician for four years for the Suncoast Flag Football Workshop hosted in Florida. Outside of his duties at USM, he is an active rugby player and a USA Rugby Level 200 coach, and currently plays with Mississippi Gulf Coast Rugby.

For information about USM Campus Recreation, visit https://www.usm.edu/campus-recreation/campus-recreation.php.