Independent Accountability Resolution Process

The Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP) is responsible for reviewing select complex infractions cases in Division I. The IARP was created in response to recommendations made by the Commission on College Basketball, chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Colleges and universities adopted a series of significant changes in August 2018, including the addition of the Independent Accountability Resolution Process to the existing infractions process. The creation of independent groups to handle select complex infractions cases and minimize perceived conflicts of interest was the intended purpose of the independent structure, which became effective in August 2019.

Complex cases may include alleged violations of core Association values, such as failing to prioritize academics or the well-being of student-athletes; the possibility of significant penalties; or conduct that is contrary to the cooperative principles of the existing infractions process. Multiple parties can request referral of an infractions case: colleges and universities, the Division I Committee on Infractions chair or the vice president of the enforcement staff.

There are four components to the IARP:

  • Independent Accountability Oversight Committee (IAOC)
  • Infractions Referral Committee (IRC)
  • Complex Case Unit (CCU)
  • Independent Resolution Panel (IRP)

Independent Accountability Oversight Committee (IAOC)

The Independent Accountability Oversight Committee oversees the independent process. It consists of three independent members of the Board of Governors and the chair and vice chair of the Division I Board of Directors.

In addition to overseeing all operational matters, the committee appoints independent external investigators and advocates on the Complex Case Unit, selects members of the Infractions Referral Committee, and nominates members of the Independent Resolution Panel, who are then appointed by the Division I Board of Directors.

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Infractions Referral Committee (IRC)

The Infractions Referral Committee decides whether to approve or reject requests to refer infractions cases to the independent process.

The committee consists of a member of the Independent Resolution Panel (serves as chair), a member of the Division I Committee on Infractions, a member of the Division I Infractions Appeals Committee, and the chair and vice chair of the Division I Council.

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Complex Case Unit (CCU)

The Complex Case Unit includes both external investigators and advocates with no school or conference affiliations as well as one member of the enforcement staff. Independent investigators and advocates are a vital part of the new process. If a case is referred to the independent structure before the enforcement staff issues a notice of allegations, the CCU determines whether further investigation of the facts is needed. If a case is referred after the enforcement staff has issued the notice of allegations, the CCU will accept the investigative work of the enforcement staff, unless the CCU can demonstrate a compelling reason to the chief panel member why additional investigation is required. The CCU will conduct any additional investigation, if needed, and submit the case for review by the Independent Resolution Panel.

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Independent Resolution Panel (IRP)

The Independent Resolution Panel consists of 15 members with legal, higher education and/or sports backgrounds. Once a case is accepted into the IARP, a public disclosure is made and a hearing panel of five (IRP) members and one alternate is appointed by the IAOC. That panel will review the allegations issued by the CCU and the parties’ response to those allegations. It then conducts a hearing, decides whether violations occurred and prescribes penalties.

Decisions issued by the IRP are final and are not subject to appeal.

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Lynda Tealer

Lynda Tealer

University of Florida Athletic Association, Executive Associate Athletics Director for Administration

Lynda Tealer joined the University of Florida Athletic Association staff in 2003, was elevated to Senior Associate Athletics Director - Senior Woman Administrator in 2007, and then to Executive Associate Athletics Director for Administration in 2012.

Tealer oversees the sports health, information and technology, and human resources departments, while supervising the men’s basketball, softball and volleyball programs. She headed the committee that explored and added the program’s 21st varsity sport, lacrosse, and she’s overseen University of Florida athletic programs that have collected 31 conference titles and five NCAA Championship trophies since 2003.

A current member of the NCAA Division I Council, Tealer began serving as the committee’s vice chair in July of 2021.

Tealer came to the UAA from the Southland Conference, where she was an Associate Commissioner. Prior to joining the Southland Conference, Tealer was at Santa Clara University (SCU) for four years as the compliance director, was elevated to SCU’s Assistant Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Services and senior woman administrator and, in 1999, was appointed Assistant Athletic Director for Intercollegiate Sports.

While at SCU, Tealer was named to the NCAA Division I Management Council as the Division I-AAA at-large representative. She then assumed the West Coast Conference representative position and later rejoined the Council as the Southland Conference representative in 2001. She also was a member of the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee.

Tealer is a 1992 graduate of the University of San Diego, where she earned a degree in business administration while playing basketball. She also possesses a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, where she was a member of the Thurgood Marshall Legal Society.

Shane Lyons

Shane Lyons

Director of Athletics and Associate Vice President, West Virginia University

In recognition of Shane Lyons’ leadership in helping West Virginia University (WVU) student-athletes succeed in the classroom and in competition, he was named 2021 NACDA Athletics Director of the Year. With his focus on the student-athlete and their development, Lyons has served on numerous national athletics committees.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lyons chaired the Football Oversight Committee, helping make adjustments to allow for a 2020 season. He is also a member of the NCAA Council, serving as the 2021-2022 chair. Additionally, Lyons served on the NCAA Working Group on Transfers, the Football Competition Committee, and the NCAA Wrestling Academics Enhancement Working Group.

Lyons has also been chair of the Big 12 Athletic Directors Committee, a member of the Big 12 Administration Committee, Finance and Budget Committee and the Game Management and Officiating Subcommittee, as well as serving on numerous other national committees. His fundraising and planning efforts resulted in more than $200 million in WVU athletic facilities improvements.  

Prior to coming to WVU, Lyons spent more than three years as the Deputy Director of Athletics and Chief Operating Officer at the University of Alabama. Before that, he spent 10 years as an Associate Commissioner at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), focusing on conference-wide compliance and academic initiatives, as well as serving as the ACC’s Human Resources Manager. Lyons has also served as Associate Athletics Director at Texas Tech, as an NCAA Senior Membership Services Representative and as Assistant Commissioner for Compliance and Championships for the Big South Conference.

Dr Jim Harris

James (Jim) T. Harris III

President, University of San Diego

James T. Harris III has served as the president and a professor of education at the University of San Diego (USD) since 2015. During his time as president, USD has been recognized for its work in environmental sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and advancing the public good. For example, in 2021 The Princeton Review ranked USD among the 50 most “green” colleges.

In 2021, USD launched the Horizon Project, a five-year initiative designed to move USD into the forefront of Catholic higher education by following Pope Francis’ guidance that as a Catholic community we must be more “open, inclusive and welcoming.” In the fall of 2021, USD enrolled its most diverse class of students in its history. Last year, USD was ranked #1 in the nation for public service by Washington Monthly magazine. In 2017, the university was recognized as having the most beautiful campus in America by The Princeton Review. USD athletic teams compete in the West Coast Conference and Pioneer Football League.

Dr. Harris also holds the title of President Emeritus of Widener University and earlier in his career served as the President of Defiance College. Dr. Harris has served in leadership roles on several national education associations including CASE, NCAA, Campus Compact, NAICU, CUMU as well as on multiple other state and local governing boards. He currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Monarch School Project in San Diego, a public k-12 school dedicated to serving children who are unhoused.

He has been named one of the Top Fifty Character Building Presidents in the Nation by the John Templeton Foundation, received the Chief Executive Leadership Award by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, and has been recognized by the NAACP and for his work in support of civil rights. His alma maters have formally recognized him for his service to society, and the Pennsylvania State University Board of Trustees awarded him the distinguished alumnus award, the highest honor given to a graduate. He remains an active scholar and teacher.

Nadja West

Nadja West

U.S. Army Lieutenant General (Ret.), 44th Army Surgeon General and Former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command

Lieutenant General (Ret) Nadja West is the 44th U.S. Army Surgeon General, and the former Commanding General of U.S. Army Medical Command (USAMEDCOM). In 2015, West became the first African American woman 3-Star General in the Army’s history and is the highest-ranking woman to ever graduate from the United States Military Academy West Point. 

A graduate of George Washington School of Medicine, West completed residencies in Family Medicine and Dermatology, and has held various clinical, operational and leadership positions throughout her 30+ year career as a U.S. Soldier. 

West served as a Hauser Leader at the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership from 2019 to 2020 and serves on the boards of directors for Johnson & Johnson, Nucor Corporation and Tenet Healthcare Corporation.  She is a trustee of the National Recreation Foundation, an organization dedicated to enhancing the role of recreation as a positive force in improving the quality of life of youth. She is also a trustee of Americares, a non-profit that saves lives and improves health for people affected by poverty or disaster so they can reach their full potential.  West was recently selected as a trustee of the board of Mount St. Mary’s University and as a board member of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. 

Nadja West

Nadja West

U.S. Army Lieutenant General (Ret.), 44th Army Surgeon General and Former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command

Lieutenant General (Ret) Nadja West is the 44th U.S. Army Surgeon General, and the former Commanding General of U.S. Army Medical Command (USAMEDCOM). In 2015, West became the first African American woman 3-Star General in the Army’s history and is the highest-ranking woman to ever graduate from the United States Military Academy West Point.

A graduate of George Washington School of Medicine, West completed residencies in Family Medicine and Dermatology, and has held various clinical, operational and leadership positions throughout her 30+ year career as a U.S. Soldier.

West served as a Hauser Leader at the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership from 2019 to 2020 and serves on the boards of directors for Johnson & Johnson, Nucor Corporation and Tenet Healthcare Corporation.  She is a trustee of the National Recreation Foundation, an organization dedicated to enhancing the role of recreation as a positive force in improving the quality of life of youth. She is also a trustee of Americares, a non-profit that saves lives and improves health for people affected by poverty or disaster so they can reach their full potential.  West was recently selected as a trustee of the board of Mount St. Mary’s University and as a board member of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. 

Nadja West

Nadja West

U.S. Army Lieutenant General (Ret.), 44th Army Surgeon General and Former Commanding General of the U.S. Army Medical Command

Lieutenant General (Ret) Nadja West is the 44th U.S. Army Surgeon General, and the former Commanding General of U.S. Army Medical Command (USAMEDCOM). In 2015, West became the first African American woman 3-Star General in the Army’s history and is the highest-ranking woman to ever graduate from the United States Military Academy West Point.

A graduate of George Washington School of Medicine, West completed residencies in Family Medicine and Dermatology, and has held various clinical, operational and leadership positions throughout her 30+ year career as a U.S. Soldier.

West served as a Hauser Leader at the Harvard Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership from 2019 to 2020 and serves on the boards of directors for Johnson & Johnson, Nucor Corporation and Tenet Healthcare Corporation.  She is a trustee of the National Recreation Foundation, an organization dedicated to enhancing the role of recreation as a positive force in improving the quality of life of youth. She is also a trustee of Americares, a non-profit that saves lives and improves health for people affected by poverty or disaster so they can reach their full potential.  West was recently selected as a trustee of the board of Mount St. Mary’s University and as a board member of the Bob Woodruff Foundation. 

Covid-19 Update

To ensure the health and safety of those involved in the infractions process, the Independent Resolution Panel, the Committees on Infractions, and the Infractions Appeals Committees will continue to conduct some hearings and oral arguments virtually; however our preference is to conduct those proceedings in person whenever possible and appropriate. When a hearing or oral argument is conducted in person, appropriate precautions will be taken to protect attendees from transmission of COVID-19. The existing briefing deadlines and other processing obligations for all ongoing cases remain in place, including the release of infractions decisions. Questions related to pending cases should continue to be posed to the appropriate infractions adjudicative body.