HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Director of the Hutchinson Chamber's Visit Hutch, LeeAnn Cox has been awarded the NJCAA Mary Ellen Leicht Service Award for her efforts connected to the national basketball and volleyball tournaments held in Hutchinson. Founded in 1959, the award is the most tenured honor handed out by the association. It is given to those - most often not an athlete - who have made significant contributions to two-year college athletics on a national level for an extended period of time.
Cox has been instrumental in the success of the historic NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Tournament held in Hutchinson, KS, serving as an advocate for the best possible student-athlete and member college championship experience. Cox has been at the forefront of efforts to ensure ample team and fan lodging that are integral to the success of the tournament each year. She coordinates with the NJCAA in these efforts and is also on the Division I Men's Basketball Championship Marketing Committee. In addition to hosting the men's basketball championship in Hutchinson, Cox is also involved in the planning and execution of the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championship Tournament and its many moving parts. Cox sees the value in the community of Hutchinson having a relationship between the thousands of student-athletes that compete for a championship each year.
Cox has been the Director of Visit Hutch since 2004 and assumed additional duties as Vice President of Operations and Tourism in January 2015. Previously, Cox spent four years as General Manager at a local hotel after having been with Visit Hutch for five years. She is on the Travel Industry Association of Kansas Board of Directors, serves as secretary on the executive committee, and also serves on various local boards and committees.
Annually, one Service Award can be reserved for a member of the media. In 2017, the NJCAA renamed the honor to the Mary Ellen Leicht Service Award in recognition of the 28 years of dedicated service by its third Executive Director.