As Pete Bevacqua prepares to take over as Notre Dame’s director of athletics next summer, he knows he will have a strong second-in-command at his side. For the past 35 years, former Notre Dame basketball player Missy Conboy has played a key role in the department as an extremely capable athletic administrator—in the mold of Rockne, you might say.
 
For as much as Rock enjoyed being in the spotlight as a nationally-renowned head coach, he was justifiably proud of his work behind the scenes to assure that the athletic program at Notre Dame operated smoothly and benefited the education of the student-athletes involved. It is work that the public rarely sees, but is vitally important to the overall success of the program.

Conboy serves as the senior deputy director of athletics. In that role, Missy currently oversees Industry and Campus Engagement, Policy and Legal Issues. She is the University’s primary liaison to NCAA, having served as the Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) for all 35 years of her tenure. She also represents the University as the Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Athletics and serves as the sport administrator for the volleyball program.

Since her initial hire in 1987, Missy has led virtually every internal area within athletics, including Compliance, Legal, Business Operations, Human Resources, Athletic Performance, Student-Athlete Development, Facilities, Master Planning, Capital Projects, Events, and Community Outreach. 

“Missy has been the ‘heart of the department’ for decades now,” says former Faculty Athletic Board member Prof. Clark Power. “She has been a voice of kindness and compassion to countless student athletes, coaches, faculty and staff.  I hold her in the highest regard as an administrator and a human being.”

During her 15 years in charge of Capital Projects, Missy was the athletics lead for the renovations of Purcell Pavilion, Rolfs Athletic Hall, and Notre Dame Stadium. In addition, she oversaw planning and construction of a number of new buildings, including Compton Family Ice Arena, the McConnell Boathouse, and IAC Football and Soccer Indoor Practice Facility. She has also served as sport administrator for 16 different Notre Dame’s men’s and women’s sport programs.

Missy is a liaison both to the Athletic Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees and the Faculty Board on Athletics, and is the University’s primary liaison to the Atlantic Coast Conference. She has served on a number of ACC and NCAA Committees, including nine years on the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions, in addition to terms on the NCAA Legislative Review Committee, and the NCAA Men’s Tennis Committee.

Missy was a four-year member of the Notre Dame women’s basketball team from 1978-82, serving as team captain her senior year. She graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in English in 1982 and earned her juris doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1985. Missy is married to Bill Mountford, a 1983 U.S. Naval Academy graduate, and a 1991 graduate of Notre Dame’s MBA school. The couple has three daughters: Darby (’16 and a tennis Monogram winner), Delaney (’20 MSM) and Killian Rose (’21).