ATLANTA -- Gonzaga women's basketball Head Coach Lisa Fortier has been elected to the NCAA Division I West position on the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA) Board of Directors.

The WBCA announced Thursday those individuals who have been elected or appointed to positions on the organization's board of directors for the 2015-16 academic year.

In just her first season as the head coach, Fortier led Gonzaga to a 26-8 finish and its seventh-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. GU made its fourth appearance in the Sweet 16, after a pair of upsets in the first and second rounds as an 11-seed.

Fortier recently received the WBCA Spalding Maggie Dixon Division I Rookie Coach of the Year Award. She had the best first season any head coach in Gonzaga women's basketball history has ever had. Her 26 wins and 76.5 winning percentage were both top of the list among first year finishes for any GU women's basketball coach.

Fortier was named the West Coast Conference co-Coach of the Year after guiding the Zags to their 11th straight conference regular season title. During the season, Gonzaga won 16 straight games, the fifth-longest win streak in program history. GU enjoyed its seventh-straight 25-win season.

Penn State head coach Coquese Washington succeeds Florida State head coach Sue Semrau as president of the association. Washington, the association's first African-American president, has served the last two years as vice president/president-elect. Semrau remains on the board of directors as immediate past president, replacing Arizona State head coach Charli Turner Thorne whose term of service on the board ends.

University of Hartford head coach Jennifer Rizotti has been elected by the membership as the new vice president/president-elect for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 academic years. Rizotti, who has served as the NCAA Division I Legislative Chair for the past four years, will automatically succeed Washington as president in the 2017-18 academic year.

Other WBCA members elected to the board of directors are: • Princeton head coach Courtney Banghart, who was elected to the NCAA Division I East position. • University of Texas head coach Karen Aston, who was elected to the NCAA Division I Midwest position. • Gonzaga head coach Lisa Fortier, who was elected to the NCAA Division I West position. • Bellarmine head coach Chancellor Dugan, who was elected to the NCAA Division II Group I position. • Wayne State (Neb.) head coach Chris Kielsmeier, who was elected to the NCAA Division II Group II position. • Williams College head coach Patricia Manning, who was re-elected to the NCAA Division III At-Large position. • Westmont College head coach Kirsten Moore, who was re-elected to the NAIA position. • Georgia Highlands College head coach Brandan Harrell, who was re-elected to the junior/community college position; and • Rutgers Prep School head coach Mary Klinger, who was elected to the scholastic position which she previously held by appointment. Washington also made appointments to fill the following positions: • Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw was appointed to serve as the NCAA Division I Legislative Chair. • Emory head coach Christy Thomaskutty was re-appointed to serve as the NCAA Division III Legislative Chair.

Here is the complete 2015-16 WBCA Board of Directors roster (*-denotes position to be eliminated when term of current holder expires): Executive Committee Coquese Washington, head coach, Penn State University, president Jennifer Rizzotti, head coach, University of Hartford, vice president/president-elect Sue Semrau, head coach, Florida State University, past president Treasurer (to be appointed by the board) Connie Hurlbut, deputy commissioner, Western Athletic Conference, administrator NCAA Division II or III board member (to be appointed by the board) Danielle Donehew, executive director, WBCA, secretary (non-voting)

Board of Directors Karen Aston, head coach, University of Texas, NCAA Division I Midwest Courtney Banghart, head coach, Princeton University, NCAA Division I East Nikki Caldwell, head coach, Louisiana State University, NCAA Division I At-Large* Claudette Charney, head coach (retired), Hillsdale College, NCAA Division II Legislative Tricia Cullop, head coach, University of Toledo, NCAA Division I At-Large* Chancellor Dugan, head coach, Bellarmine University, NCAA Division II Group I Rich Ensor, commissioner, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Collegiate Commissioners Association Brandan Harrell, head coach, Georgia Highlands College, junior/community colleges Chris Kielsmeier, head coach, Wayne State College (Nebraska), NCAA Division II Group II Mary Klinger, head coach, Rutgers Preparatory School, scholastic Lisa Fortier, head coach, Gonzaga University, NCAA Division I West Amanda Levens, associate head coach, Arizona State University, assistant coaches Patricia Manning, head coach, Williams College, NCAA Division III At-Large Muffet McGraw, head coach, University of Notre Dame, NCAA Division I Legislative Kirsten Moore, head coach, Westmont College, NAIA Danielle O'Banion, head coach, Kent State University, Advocates for Athletic Equity* Mary Beth Spirk, head coach, Moravian College, NCAA Division III At-Large Christy Thomaskutty, head coach, Emory University, NCAA Division III Legislative Leadership Advisory Council chair (to be appointed by the board) Two public sector members (to be appointed by the board) Anucha Browne, vice president for women's basketball, NCAA (non-voting) Carol Callan, national team director, USA Basketball (non-voting) Diane Dickman, managing director, NCAA Academic & Membership Affairs (non-voting) Martha Putallaz, professor, Duke University, faculty athletic representatives (non-voting) The WBCA Board of Directors develops policies, procedures and regulations for the operation of the organization. It also monitors the organization's financial health, programs and overall performance and provides the executive director with the resources necessary to meet the needs of those the organization serves.

About the WBCA: Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. For more information on the WBCA, please visit WBCA.org.