North Royalton High School alumna Lynn Holzman has taken her passion for basketball from the courts of North Royalton to one of the most influential leadership positions in collegiate athletics. On Friday, November 6, she returned to North Royalton City Schools to share her experiences and connect with members of the middle school and high school girls basketball programs.
Holzman, a 1990 graduate who serves as vice president of women's basketball for the NCAA, has dedicated her career to advancing opportunities for female athletes and strengthening women's collegiate basketball across the country.
For the young athletes who gathered to hear her speak, the visit offered an opportunity to learn from someone who once walked the same hallways, wore the same school colors and pursued her own dreams of playing basketball.
"It was a full circle moment in many respects. I was a multi-sport athlete in high school (volleyball, basketball and softball) as were my siblings. To be able to address the group about some of my athletic experiences as well as my career was personally meaningful," said Holzman.
A standout athlete during her years at North Royalton High School, Holzman earned 11 letters in volleyball, basketball and softball, was named MVP in multiple sports and received all-state honors in basketball and softball multiple times. During her senior year, USA Today named her the Ohio Female High School Athlete of the Year.
Holzman recalls the competitiveness and success of North Royalton's athletic programs during those years, including conference championships and teams advancing further in state tournament competition than they had previously. She also remembers the teammates who shared those experiences with her.
Holzman continued her athletic career at Kansas State University, where she was a four-time letter winner and team captain. Her experiences as a student-athlete helped lay the foundation for a career that would eventually take her to the highest levels of collegiate athletics administration.
Since February 2018, Holzman has served as the NCAA's vice president of women's basketball, overseeing the strategic direction for NCAA women's basketball, including the operations and management of the Division I, II and III Women's Basketball Championships.
Under her leadership, women's collegiate basketball has experienced significant growth in championship attendance, television viewership, social media engagement and opportunities to elevate the experiences of student-athletes and fans.
Before assuming her current position, Holzman served as commissioner of the West Coast Conference, where she was responsible for the conference's strategic direction and operations. She also spent 16 years working at the NCAA national office in various leadership roles primarily focused in the regulatory and governance areas.
Her influence extends beyond the NCAA. Holzman serves on the boards of USA Basketball, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. She previously served on the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and Women Leaders in Sports boards. She has also been recognized nationally for her contributions to sports leadership, including being named one of the Sports Business Journal's Game Changers and Administrator of the Year by Women Leaders in Sports.
Her return to North Royalton provided an opportunity to connect her professional accomplishments with the experiences of today's student-athletes, many of whom are developing the same skills that helped shape her own journey.
During her visit, Holzman encouraged the girls to think beyond their playing careers and recognize the many professional opportunities available in athletics. "Young people, particularly women, need to see how they can turn their passion for sport into a rewarding career. I firmly believe that 'if you see her, you can be her,'" said Holzman. "I hope I inspired the junior high and high school players here to focus not only on their athletic and basketball skills but also on what comes after they finish playing at North Royalton. There are many ways to build a career in sports and stay connected to the game."
To illustrate the connection between athletics and professional leadership, Holzman shared that 94% of women in C-suite positions have played sports, and 54% competed at the collegiate level. She also emphasized that the lessons learned through athletics extend well beyond competition. "I am a product of all the great things we know sport and competition offers as we grow and develop as a person. Besides the physical health benefits, sports provide social and personal development benefits," said Holzman. "My experiences at North Royalton helped shape the skills I use everyday: problem-solving, time management, leadership, teamwork, resilience, collaboration and confidence."
Holzman's visit also reflected North Royalton City Schools' Portrait of a Bear initiative, particularly the competencies of Leadership, Communication, Adaptability and Learner's Mindset. Through athletics, students have opportunities to develop these skills as they work toward shared goals, overcome challenges and learn to lead both on and off the court.
For Holzman, Learner's Mindset has been particularly important throughout her athletic and professional career. She credits her experiences at North Royalton with encouraging her curiosity, desire to improve and commitment to lifelong learning. "North Royalton fed my desire to learn, both on the playing field and in the classroom. In every sport I played, I wanted to improve by understanding the game more deeply," said Holzman.
Her appreciation for sports extends beyond basketball. She describes herself as an equal-opportunity sports fan who values physical movement, strategy, competition, teamwork and performance. That same curiosity also motivated her to pursue academic opportunities and experience different cultures and people throughout the world.
Sports provided the opportunity for Holzman to earn undergraduate degrees in exercise science and gerontology at Kansas State University, followed by a master's degree in sport administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Later, while working full time, she earned an MBA from Purdue University.
Her professional career in sports has also provided opportunities to travel throughout the country and connect with prominent leaders, athletes and coaches, further expanding her experiences and perspectives.
For Holzman, whose basketball journey began in North Royalton, the visit brought her career full circle, connecting her experiences as a student-athlete with a new generation of girls discovering their own potential through sports. Her message reinforced that the skills, relationships and opportunities developed through athletics can continue to shape their lives long after their playing days are over.