Justin Winans, director of campus recreation at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, has been selected to serve on the Assembly of NIRSA, one of the leading organizations for recreation, sport and wellbeing on college campuses.

Winans will serve a one-year term on the Assembly as an at-large member beginning July 1. The Assembly is composed of campus recreation professionals representing colleges and universities across the United States and Canada. The group has a flexible roster of up to 30 members and focuses on important topics affecting collegiate recreation. The NIRSA Assembly examines emerging trends and develops new ideas to help shape the profession’s future. Assembly members are chosen through a competitive selection process based on their unique perspectives, experience and passion for campus recreation.

“It will be exciting to gain insight into the issues affecting university campus recreation across the country by serving on the Assembly,” Winans said. “I hope to bring attention to the great things we are doing programmatically and educationally at UNCP. I also want to raise awareness about the issues affecting rural regional institutions and use the Assembly’s resources to provide innovative solutions to the health and wellness challenges in southeastern North Carolina.”

Winans, who leads a staff of five professionals and more than 50 students, served as a student worker in campus recreation at UNCP before graduating in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and recreation. He also served as a graduate assistant before joining the department full time in 2004 as director of intramurals. Winans, who became director in 2013, expects to complete a master’s degree in sport administration from UNCP in 2025.