LUBBOCK, Texas (June 24, 2021) – Lubbock Christian University director of athletics Scott Larson has named Jessica Pope as the department's assistant athletic director for compliance and senior woman administrator (SWA) effective July 1.  Pope replaces Jennifer Lawrence, who moved to Tennessee after a stellar career as a student-athlete, coach and administrator within the LCU athletic department.
 
"Jessica is a rising star within intercollegiate athletics," stated Larson. "She brings a wealth of experience in many different areas, and I look forward to her being an incredible asset for our coaches, staff and student-athletes."
 
Pope joins the LCU Athletic Department after completing a law degree at Alabama School of Law and a master's degree in Sports Business Management at Alabama, where she served two years on staff of the Crimson Tide's Athletic Compliance Department. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Mass Media, claiming summa cum laude honors while claiming a certificate in Sports Broadcasting at Valdosta State (in Valdosta, Ga.) in 2016. Pope worked video production for In The Game Sports Network and as an events coordinator for Valdosta State before heading to the University of Alabama, where she also worked as a student attorney with the University of Alabama School of Law Entrepreneurship & Nonprofit Clinic, while working with the Alabama Athletic Department. At Alabama School of Law, Pope was the President and Treasurer of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society and received Pro Bono Excellence Award honors and was a Dean's Community Service Award recipient. She also received Best Paper honors in the Entrepreneurship Casework Clinic and was a National Tax Moot Court Team Member.  
 
"I would like to thank (director of athletics) Scott Larson and the entire LCU staff for welcoming me into the Chap family," said Pope. "By combining my passion for higher education and college athletics with the unified vision and support of all LCU staff, I believe we will elevate LCU Athletics to new heights. I am extremely excited for this amazing opportunity and look forward to joining the LCU family and fulfilling the mission of LCU through athletics."
 
At LCU, Pope will oversee the Athletic Department's compliance efforts and assist with day-to-day executive decisions of the department. She will also serve SWA duties of the university and will work alongside the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Larson was the program's first assigned individual to oversee the department's office of compliance in 2012, helping LCU transition membership from NAIA to NCAA Division II. Lawrence took the compliance lead in 2019, as Larson was promoted to director of athletics, placing Pope as the department's third individual to oversee compliance in program history.