UPDATED August 23, 2025
Mads (Madeleine) McKenna joined the Wayne State University Department of Athletics as an Assistant Athletic Director for Student Support Services in September of 2024.
The Columbus, Ohio, native (Upper Arlington High School) earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology from California University of Pennsylvania in May of 2021, while being a four-year member of the Vulcans volleyball squad. McKenna earned a master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside this past May. Her thesis was titled "An Exploration of Coach-Athlete Relationships, College Student-Athlete Mental Health, and the Division II Student-Athlete Experience."
She served two years (2022-23 and 2023-24) as the Mental Health Advocacy Graduate Assistant for Athletics at UW-Parkside and received the Ranger IMPACT Award in 2024 which recognizes a staff member for their positive impact on Parkside Athletics. In her time as the Mental Health Advocacy GA, McKenna led the development and implementation of numerous mental health initiatives and programs for the department while meeting with student-athletes, coaches, and staff to provide mental wellness support and consultation.Â
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McKenna also served as a Counseling Intern for the Health and Counseling Center at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis. as part of her master's program from the spring of 2023 through the end of the 2023-2024 academic year. In this role, she provided counseling services to college students and student-athletes.
Mads was a member of the NCAA Board of Governors (graduated DII Student-Athlete member, Aug. 2022-Aug. 2025). She was the first-ever graduated student-athlete voting member in 2022-23, and sat as an ex officio member alongside graduated student-athlete members from DI and DIII.
While an undergrad at Cal. Pa., McKenna served as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference’s (PSAC) representative on Division II National SAAC from 2019-2022, where she was a member of the Mental Health Task Force and spoke on DII Mental Health Panels at the 2019 and 2020 NCAA Conventions.
She has also served as the DII National SAAC representative on Division II Management Council (2020-2022), the NCAA Constitution Committee, and the DII Implementation Committee.Â
As a member of the Constitution Committee, McKenna contributed mental health language to the new NCAA Constitution, codifying Student-Athlete Well-Being as one of the Association's guiding principles and charging member institutions with the responsibility for oversight/administration of coach, administrator, and staff mental health awareness and education. In 2022, Mads was honored with the D2 Conference Commissioner's Association Meritorious Service Award in recognition of and appreciation for leadership and dedication to the membership of NCAA DII, marking the first time in history a student-athlete had been selected for this award.
Academically, McKenna was a four-year D2 Athletic Director's Association (ADA) Academic Achievement Award recipient along with garnering PSAC Scholar-Athlete honors all four years.Â
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