Meet The PICTOR Group Team
Let Our Leadership Team help your organization Rethink. Refocus. Recalibrate!
The PICTOR Group’s leadership team includes three former NCAA Division I Athletics Directors and a Division I Conference Commissioner. Our Team offers a unique blend of exceptional talent, expertise and experience. Our Team is passionate for visionary and ethical leadership in intercollegiate athletics.
The PICTOR Group may on occasion, invite guest experts from higher education and/or the industry of intercollegiate athletics to assist us with a special project or specific assignment. These individuals possess an expertise and in-depth knowledge of the specific topic and will bring a unique insight and perspective in contributing to the project.
Cary S. Groth, Founder and Chief Executive Officer
After retiring from the University of Nevada, Cary S. Groth founded The PICTOR Group in 2014 with the vision of assisting intercollegiate athletics programs, athletics conferences and sports organizations Rethink, Refocus and Recalibrate. To date, The PICTOR Groupas successfully worked with over 100 clients in intercollegiate athletics.
Cary is a highly accomplished athletics administrator who has over 40 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics. As a former student-athlete, head women’s tennis coach and athletics administrator, she has had a very successful and dynamic career. Serving as an Athletics Director at two NCAA Division I FBS institutions; Northern Illinois University and the University of Nevada, Cary is credited for leading both institutions into nationally competitive athletics programs while increasing the graduation rate of student-athletes.
Cary has served on various Conference and NCAA Committees including President George W. Bush’s Commission on Opportunity in Athletics. She has also served as President, Women Leaders in College Sports. She was awarded the Women Leaders in College Sports Administrator of the Year Award as well as the WBCA’s Administrator of the Year.
Cary earned her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees at Northern Illinois University where she has been honored with the University’s College of Education Distinguished Alumni Award and is also a member of the NIU and Mid-American Conference Athletics Halls of Fame.
Sandy Hatfield Clubb, President
Sandy Hatfield Clubb is a 28-year veteran of intercollegiate athletics administration and currently serves as President of The PICTOR Group
Sandy delivers strategic insights through a unique and highly effective portfolio of services. Among her list of clients include the NCAA, USA Gymnastics, USA Triathlon, Women Leaders in College Sport, and numerous NCAA institutions and conferences at every divisional level. She also serves as a consultant to The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics and is a certified Talent Optimization Specialist with the Humanlytics Team, a licensee of the Predictive Index.
Prior to joining The PICTOR Group Sandy served as director of athletics at Drake University where she was named 2013-14 NACDA’s Under Armor Athletics Director of the Year for the Football Championships Subdivision. While at Drake University, Sandy earned a national reputation as a leading voice for a transformative model of NCAA Division I athletics that aligns athletic excellence with the academic mission of an institution. Prior to moving to Drake University, she spent 16 years in various top leadership and management roles in athletics administration at Arizona State University.
Sandy was a member of the inaugural NCAA Division I Council and as the first-ever Chairperson for the DI Strategic Vision and Planning Committee. She served in numerous other national leadership roles including as a member of the Division I Values-Based Revenue Distribution Working Group, Division I Men’s Basketball Issues Committee, Division I Women’s Basketball Issues Committee, and on the Board of Directors for Women Leaders in College Sports.
Sandy earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Education in Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies from the University of Texas El Paso. In 2009, she was named the College of Health Science Gold Nugget, an award recognizing exceptional graduates who have given back to their communities and serve as an inspiration for future generations of Miners.
Carolyn Schlie Femovich, Vice President
Carolyn Schlie Femovich joined The PICTOR Group in April 2016 upon retirement from the Patriot League where she served as Executive Director for 16 successful years.
Carolyn is an accomplished leader and respected athletics administrator. She has served in top leadership positions for over 40 years at both the campus and conference office levels.
Throughout Carolyn’s tenure at the Patriot League, she focused her efforts on the development and implementation of a comprehensive multimedia package, expansion of League membership and improvement of the League’s competitiveness.
She served in national leadership positions with the NCAA as Chair of the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet, on the NCAA Management Council and the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee. She also served as Chair of the Collegiate Commissioner’s Association and was also Chair of the Collegiate Women’s Sports Award Program.
Prior to her appointment as the Patriot League Executive Director, Carolyn served in top leadership roles as Senior Associate, Interim Athletics Director and Associate Director at the University of Pennsylvania.
Carolyn is a graduate of Valparaiso University. She received her Master of Science degree from Indiana University. Carolyn has been inducted into the Valparaiso Athletics Hall of Fame, and in 2017 was selected to receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from Women Leaders in College Sports.
M. Dianne Murphy, Vice President
Dr. M. Dianne Murphy has been with The PICTOR Group for since April 2016. Dianne has a varied background and myriad of experiences in college athletics. She has demonstrated a history of success in in strategic planning, fundraising, executive searches, programmatic reviews, leadership development and executive coaching during her six-year tenure as a Vice President with The PICTOR Group. She is also an adjunct professor in Sports Management at Tennessee Technological University,
A prominent and active athletics administrator on the national collegiate landscape, Dianne is a highly respected professional who has extensive leadership experience. She has served as a NCAA Division I head women’s basketball coach for 13 years, associate athletics director at three different institutions and Division I Director of Athletics for 17 years.
Dianne was the Director of Athletics at the University of Denver and most recently at Columbia University. She has been President, Women Leaders in College Sports and was Chair, NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Issues Committee. She has served as a member of the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee and the Collegiate Women’s Sports Award Program. Dianne also serves as the facilitator for the WBCA’s So You Want Be A Coach Program.
Dianne is an active member on the Board of Directors for WeCOACH, Kay Yow Cancer Fund and is the Vice Chair of the Tennessee Tech Foundation Board of Directors. In 2016 she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from Women Leaders in College Sports and was inducted into the NACDA Hall of Fame in 2017. In April 2020, the WBCA selected Dianne to receive the prestigious Jostens-Berenson Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding service to women’s basketball.
Dianne holds a Ph.D. in administration and curriculum from Florida State University and a Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from Tennessee Technological University.
Dr. Ingrid Wicker McCree, Consultant
iwickermccree@thepictorgroup.com
Dr. Ingrid Wicker McCree has an impressive and storied career as a higher education leader with more than 30 years in diverse roles. She made history in 2008 when she became the first female to hold the permanent title of the Director of Athletics at North Carolina Central University (NCCU). Her experiences as a college student-athlete, coach, and administrator lend her success as one of the longest-tenured athletic directors in NCCU history. As a result of her hard work and support, an endowed scholarship was established in her name at NCCU; The Ingrid Wicker McCree Legacy Endowed Scholarship Fund. Ingrid is a member of four Halls of Fame as a student-athlete, coach, and administrator– C.E. Jordan High School Hall of Fame, NCCU Alex Rivera Hall of Fame, John B. McLendon Hall of Fame (CIAA), and the George Washington University Athletics Hall of Fame.
Ingrid led NCCU's successful reclassification from NCAA Division I to Division I FCS membership, which included developing and implementing the first long-range strategic plan for the transition. Upon her retirement, Ingrid oversaw the development of a new strategic plan, Era of Excellence, 2020-2025. Ingrid has also served in various leadership positions on local, regional and national boards, including the Durham Sports Commission, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, FCS Football Regional Ranking Committee, and NCAA Division II Volleyball Committee, NCAA Research committee, and most recently the NCAA Division I Council.
Ingrid is a John C. Maxwell Certified team member and holds certifications in DEIB, Workplace Conflict Resolution, and is a certified facilitator of the 360 Leadership Assessment by the Center for Creative Leadership. She earned her undergraduate degree in criminal justice from George Washington University, a master's degree in recreation resources administration, and a doctorate in higher education administration from North Carolina State University.
Laura A. Scott, Director, Business Operations
Laura has been overseeing the financial and business operations for The PICTOR Group since 2019. Laura has over 25 years of experience working in higher education with most of those years in intercollegiate athletics.
Tristan Clubb, Director, Creative Services
Tristan Clubb joined The PICTOR Group in 2018 as the Director of Creative Services. Before joining the team, he served as a Creative Associate at Cocoa Creative Agency where he assisted with brand development and management. While at the Cocoa Creative Agency, Tristan was instrumental in working with various companies in helping design intellectual property, animation, and marketing initiatives. Currently, Tristan is based in Brooklyn, New York and works as a freelance filmmaker specializing in production services and coordination.
Tristan is a graduate of Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Media Production.
Angie Allen, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Communication
Angie Allen joined The PICTOR Group in September 2020. Allen graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelor’s degree in sport management and a minor in both business and leadership studies. She was a member of the rowing team and was a three-time member of the Academic All-Big 12 Team. She also has a Master’s degree in Sport Law and Business from Arizona State. While at Arizona State, she served as the Olympic sport graduate assistant where she supports team travel and budget management.
Before joining The PICTOR Group, Angie served as the Big 12 Conference Championships Assistant where she assisted in the administration and event management in all sports. She also coordinated the Conference’s signage and brand management for the Big 12 Olympic sports championship events.
Angie is currently the Assistant to Commissioner/Special Events at the Missouri Valley Conference.
Specialists
Dee Abrahamson
Dee Abrahamson joined The PICTOR Group as a consultant before becoming a Specialist with The PICTOR Group in December 2020. Concurrently, Dee is the NCAA Softball Equipment Consultant specializing in establishing bat and ball performance standards for collegiate softball competition. She also serves as an advisor to several other governing associations. Dee also served as the NCAA Softball Secretary Rules Editor for 20 years.
Most of her professional career in was spent as a member of the senior management team at Northern Illinois. Prior to her athletics administrative duties, she served as the Head Softball Coach. Between joining the Northern Illinois Huskies Dee was a collegiate coach, athletic trainer, and instructor at Lincoln Trail College.
Throughout her professional career, Dee has been inducted into the Northern Illinois Athletic Hall of Fame (team and individual) and Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame. She was honored by the National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association through induction into the Hall of Fame. She was also awarded their Outstanding Service Award.
Dee earned her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees at Western Michigan University and completed additional postgraduate course work at Indiana State University.
Gary Brown
Gary Brown works closely with The PICTOR Group with creative design work and editorial content. Gary has been affiliated with the NCAA since 1992. He has been managing editor of the NCAA News and Champion Magazine. In 2013, Gary assumed the role of an NCAA governance contractor primarily focusing on promoting Division II, specifically through its strategic planning process.
Gary has used his creative talents and editorial expertise in helping other NCAA Division I and II athletics programs as well as athletic conferences with public-facing documents and marketing materials.
Keith Hackett
Keith Hackett is a college athletics and higher education executive with over 35 years of professional experience. Serving as a collegiate coach and senior athletics administrator across all three NCAA competitive divisions (I, II, III) has given Keith significant experience in managing and leading athletics programs. His hands-on approach to teaching and mentoring has influenced many athletics administrators, coaches and support staff during his professional career.
Keith served as Senior Associate Athletics Director at the University of Nevada, Director of Athletics at the University of Alaska-Anchorage and at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Most recently he recently completed a semester long-term as Interim Athletics Director at Simpson College in Iowa.
Paul Kowalczyk
Paul Kowalczyk joined The PICTOR Group in 2018 and has over 30 years of leadership experience in college athletics. He served as Athletics Director at Colorado State and Southern Illinois. Most recently he served as Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director at the University of Illinois from 2012 until 2018. He also served as Interim Director of Athletics from November 2015 to March 2016.
During his tenure, Paul built competitive athletics programs. He has a track record of raising external funds to build athletics facilities and has a reputation as a professional with great integrity.
Paul was named the NACDA Athletics Director of the Year for Division I-AA Central Region. He was the NCAA Leadership Council Representative for the Mountain West Conference and was a member of the NACDA Executive Committee.
Paul has a strong background in budget and finance. He managed the athletics budgeting process at Northwestern, Kansas State, Portland State and Youngstown State. A native of Warren, Ohio, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in accounting and his Master's degree in sports administration at Kent State.
John Robinson
John Robinson joined The PICTOR Group in January 2021 as the specialist for the Collegiate and NCAA Development Project for USA Gymnastics. He is highly engaged in the NCAA Men’s Gymnastics landscape with a wealth of experience at many levels.
John earned his Business Administration-Marketing degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is in his 11th year as an assistant coach at Nebraska where the program has produced its best results in over 20 years, finishing 3rd in 2019.
He serves on the College Gymnastics Association Executive Committee and has been a key contributor in restructuring the organization. John also serves on the NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Sustainability Committee. His focus on the committee has been developing economic models and sustainable concepts.
Mary Struckhoff
Mary Struckhoff joined The PICTOR Group as a Specialist in November 2020 after serving as an officiating consultant for a special project commissioned by the NCAA Division III Commissioners Association.
Mary has been in athletics administration for over 30 years with a diverse array of professional experiences including coaching, officiating, and athletics administration spanning the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Her career highlights include stints at the University of Chicago, Chicago State and most recently, at Transylvania.
Mary also served as the National Coordinator of Women's Basketball Officiating for the NCAA. She was also an Assistant Director with the National Federation of State High School Associations and an Assistant Executive Director with the Illinois High School Association. She officiated women’s basketball for over 20 years.
Mary is a graduate of Benedictine College and received her Master’s degree in Athletics Administration from Western Illinois.
