Three decades later, she’s still tight with two of her favorite people from her time in C-U.
And Joni Comstock still credits the influence of a pioneering administrator for landing in the job she held for 17 years, right up until her 2024 retirement — senior vice president of championships for the NCAA.
“I am particularly grateful to two U of I alumni who are close personal friends and colleagues of mine who encouraged me to accept the offer to attend graduate school at Illinois. They are Tom and Deb Voigt,” Comstock (Ph.D. ’87, administration of higher education) says from Indianapolis.
“Tom recently retired after a long and successful career as professor of horticulture. Deb graduated in social work and did many interesting and meaningful things in her career.
“Professionally, I will always consider the impact of Karol Kahrs as life- and profession-changing. Karol provided me with endless professional opportunities, experiences and networks.
“Karol was a strong role model for me and many other women in intercollegiate athletics.”
Before joining the NCAA in 2006, Comstock rose through the ranks of college athletics — from assistant AD at Lincoln College (1979-83) to associate AD at Illinois (1983-89) to senior associate AD at Purdue (1989-2000) to AD at both UNC-Asheville (2000-03) and American University (2003-06).
