UC Riverside AD, Tamica Smith Jones, Named to Executive Committee of Division I Black Directors of Athletics Alliance

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – In the week following the senseless death of George Floyd, University of California, Riverside's Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Tamica Smith Jones, delivered a heartfelt and pertinent statement to the greater UC Riverside Athletics and Campus communities. In the statement, Jones reaffirmed Athletics' commitment to inclusion and stopping anti-Black racism, while calling on those with the ability and the power to stop systemic racism to do so. In addition, a forum called "Highlanders Speak Up for Humanity" was designed to serve as a safe space to have difficult but necessary conservations by empowered student-athletes, coaches and staff that wanted to voice their concerns on key societal and social justice issues impacting our community and identify tangible solutions to help educate and solve these issues.

But the work did not stop there.

Jones was invited to join several other Division I African-American ADs across the country on a series of Zoom calls that led to the creation of the Black AD Alliance, a group designed to make a difference and committed to having a larger impact on the intercollegiate athletics landscape. The group now includes more than 50 Black athletics directors, with Auburn AD Allen Greene and UMKC AD Brandon Martin serving as co-chairs. Jones was selected to serve on the 15-member executive committee and lead the Social Justice Taskforce.

"The Black AD Alliance is an incredible group comprised of some of the most recognized and respected educators and leaders in college athletics," said Jones. "It is an honor and a privilege to work alongside my beloved colleagues with a critical mission to unpack this moment and address social justice, racial equality and identify ways we will consciously lead substantive change forward during this time of unrest. For me, this is an extension of the work I have been passionate about and committed to throughout my career. Today, we are stronger because we have come together and are in positions where we can make a difference as a national advocacy group, collectively taking action that will create the change we want to see in our industry for our student-athletes and aspiring athletics administrators."

The Alliance is committed to promoting the growth, development, and elevation of Black athletics administrators at the Division I level. The group will engage industry decision-makers to provide exposure for aspiring Black college athletics professionals through purposeful mentoring and foster connections with those who will aid in positioning leaders in intercollegiate athletics. Several strategic priorities have been created that will provide a framework for the group moving forward. These include:

Providing a forum for communication among Division I Black athletics directors in promoting professional advancement,
Partnering with NCAA senior leadership, Board of Governors, conference commissioners, and NACDA to develop and implement policies, and create opportunities for Division I Black athletics administrators,
Developing a support network for Black professionals seeking Division I senior athletic department positions,
Collaborating with MOAA and other minority-focused advocacy organizations nationally, and;
Providing a mechanism for concerted action in support of racial and social justice.

Smaller task forces have been established which include: Allies, Pipeline/Recruitment, Social Justice, HBCUs, Student-Athlete Wellness and Development and Ambassadors.

In the 2019 Racial and Gender Report Card released by The Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sports (TIDES), Blacks and Hispanics have been under-represented in college administration front office positions. Blacks held 8.7 percent of athletic director positions with Hispanics/Latinos at 2.7 percent. Blacks held 9.3 percent of assistant athletic director positions in 2018-19.

Of UC Riverside Athletics' eight-person executive team, four executive staff members are minorities; Tamica Smith Jones (Director of Intercollegiate Athletics), Wesley Mallette (Chief of Staff/Senior Associate AD for External Relations), Tony Ontiveros (Associate AD, Sports Medicine and Performance) and Stacy Ramos (Athletics Human Resources Specialist), which is a testament to the intentional work done to uphold UC Riverside's commitment to recruit, hire, promote and retain inclusive, diverse and high performing professionals.

"This is mission-driven work and not a moment but a marathon with several bolting sprints," Jones added. "Together, we will rise to the occasion to do our part in preparing and promoting the next generation of leaders."

More than 50 Black athletics directors at the Division I level have been active participants in the discussions. From the group, a 15-person executive committee has been established which includes: Omar Banks (Campbell University), Tim Duncan (University of New Orleans), Damon Evans (University of Maryland), Derrick Gragg (University of Tulsa), Charles Guthrie (University of Wisconsin Green Bay), Derek Horne (Alcorn State University), Martin Jarmond (University of California, Los Angeles), Candice Lee (Vanderbilt University), Warde Manuel (University of Michigan), Bernard Muir (Stanford University), Lee Reed (Georgetown University), Ed Scott (Morgan State University), Tamica Smith Jones (University of California, Riverside), Ingrid Wicker McCree (North Carolina Central University), and Carla Williams (University of Virginia).

The full list of Division I Black athletics directors is below:

First Name	Last Name	College
Mikki	Allen	Tennessee State
Mark	Alnutt	Buffalo
Ray	Anderson	Arizona State
Omar	Banks	Campbell
Roman	Banks	Southern
Brian	Baptiste	LaSalle
Marcus	Blossom	Holy Cross
Derek	Carter	Coppin State
Elliot	Charles	Chicago State
Valerie	Cleary	Portland State
Sherard	Clinkscales	Indiana State
Chris	Clunie	Davidson
Stacy	Danley	South Carolina State
Kery	Davis	Howard
Keith	Davidson	Maryland Eastern Shores
Tim	Duncan	New Orleans
Earl	Edwards	San Diego
Damon	Evans	Maryland
Dianthia	Ford-Kee	Mississippi Valley State
Sean T.	Frazier	Northern Illinois
Sherryta	Freeman	Lafayette
Kortne	Gosha	FAMU
Dr. Derrick	Gragg	Tulsa
Kevin	Granger	Texas Southern
Alex	Gray	Western Carolina
Allen	Greene	Auburn
Daryl	Gross	Cal State LA
Charles	Guthrie	Green Bay
David	Harris	Northern Iowa
Gerald	Harrison	Austin Peay
Brian	Hicks	Alabama A&M
Derek	Horne	Alcorn State
Martin	Jarmond	UCLA
Candice Storey	Lee	Vanderbilt
Warde	Manuel	Michigan
Eugene	Marshall, Jr.	Hampton
Brandon	Martin	UMKC
Bernard	Muir	Stanford
Milton	Overton	Kennesaw State
Roderick	Perry	IUPUI
David	Ponton	Grambling State
Lee	Reed	Georgetown
Donald	Remy	NCAA
Chris	Reynolds	Bradley
Ashley	Robinson	Jackson State
Peter	Roby	Former AD
Ed	Scott	Morgan State
Gene	Smith	Ohio State
Tamica	Smith Jones	University of California, Riverside
Jonathan	Terrell	Nicholls
Lynn	Thomson	Bethune-Cookman
Jermaine	Truax	Bucknell
Terry	Tumey	Fresno State
Robert	Vowels	Detroit Mercy
Melody	Webb	Norfolk State
Ingrid	Wicker McCree	NCCU
Stan	Wilcox	NCAA
Carla	Williams	Virginia
Jennifer	Williams	Alabama State

UC Riverside AD, Tamica Smith Jones, Named to Executive Committee of Division I Black Directors of Athletics Alliance

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