Champions of Diversity and Inclusion

Introduced by the Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee in 2015, the Champions of Diversity and Inclusion recognition honors individuals for their work in supporting ethnic minorities and other underrepresented populations in athletics. These individuals display a commitment to advocating and advancing others that goes beyond their profession.

Nominations for the 2025 Champions of Diversity and Inclusion are now closed.

Thomas Harris (2024)

Arizona senior associate athletics director for belonging and engagement

Driven by his firm belief that a diverse and inclusive environment helps an organization thrive, Harris has been a passionate advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion. Within the past five years, Harris has spearheaded a series of diversity-themed nights that celebrate the cultural heritage of student-athletes, in addition to facilitating an annual Juneteenth Shoe Drive and service opportunities in communities of color.

Doug Knuth (2024)

Southern Utah director of athletics

Throughout his career in college athletics, Knuth has remained a consistent advocate to advance the careers of others with a focus on providing opportunities for women and people of color. In his previous post as athletics director at Nevada, he hired the university's first African American head football coach and Japanese American head women's soccer coach.

Richard Zhu (2024)

Patriot League assistant commissioner for sport management and engagement

Zhu has directly led Patriot League efforts for programming and initiatives focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. In support of student-athletes of color, Zhu led the development of the Pursuit of Anti-Racism T-shirts, which were worn by student-athletes and coaches during athletics contests.

Ty-Ron Douglas (2024)

California associate Athletics Director, Diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and justice

Douglas is a national leader in the DEI landscape and has provided leadership in California athletics since January 2021. Focusing on three DEIBJ pillars of educate, celebrate and accelerate, he has implemented listening and learning sessions, robust heritage month celebrations, weekly blogs on belonging, and panel sessions to amplify voices within the California community.

Sara Lee (2024)

Denison senior associate director of athletics/senior woman administrator

Lee has been a leader in championing diversity, inclusion, equity and anti-racism at Denison and throughout her career. She created Denison's Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group, which works collaboratively with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to make sure that the needs and voices of all student-athletes are met and heard. Many believe one of Lee's strengths is her willingness to embrace and seek various perspectives.

John Lesaine (2024)

Newberry associate dean/associate athletics director for student-athlete success

Lesaine provides vision and direction for many of Newberry's diverse and inclusive initiatives. He created the Newberry College Black Male Success initiative, which provides individualized support and encouragement for African American males on the Newberry campus to aid in the success and retention of promising African American male scholars.

Valencia Jordan (2023)

Tennessee State former senior woman administrator/senior associate athletics director

Jordan, a longtime champion of marginalized student-athletes, has fittingly earned the respect of her colleagues and key stakeholders in the Tennessee State community for her outstanding efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion. Even in retirement, her efforts around DEI continue to be celebrated and recognized.

Juliana Smith (2023)

Baylor executive senior associate athletics director for mission impact and enrichment

Smith, who recently joined the Baylor athletics department, had a broad and positive impact on diversity, equity and inclusion at Colgate as a representative on the Patriot League Anti-Racism Commission, where she also served as co-chair of the Hiring and Policy Committee. In her co-chair role, Smith led the development of a leaguewide diverse hiring commitment and helped select the league's anti-racism consulting group, which conducted equity audits that resulted in meaningful policy change.

Stefanie “Stevie” Baker-Watson (2023)

DePauw associate vice for student wellness and Theordore Katula Director of Athletics and Recreational Sports

Baker-Watson has been a champion of diversity, equity and inclusion for underrepresented groups, as witnessed through her hiring practices at DePauw, her mentoring of individuals and her recommendations that have advanced young professionals of color to numerous areas within college athletics. She also has shown a commitment to improving athletics' academic and cultural climates and has empowered student-athletes and staff to be productive professional citizens.

Charvi Greer (2023)

Tulane deputy athletics director, student services/senior woman administrator

Greer is the liaison to the Title IX office, where she supports the management of gender equity planning. Her accomplishments at Tulane also include assisting in the creation of Green Wave Justice for All and with the athletics department's action and accountability plan for social justice and diversity, equity and inclusion. She has also assumed leadership roles within the department's diversity council and took the lead in developing its five-year DEI strategic plan. She has coordinated DEI workshops and has led coach and staff hiring searches that have led to diverse candidate appointments.

Ashley Stone (2023)

Oakland associate athletics director for student-athlete experience/senior woman administrator

Understanding that each team plays an important role in supporting DEI and that having a more diverse, inclusive and equitable culture enhances the athletics experience for student-athletes, Stone implemented athletic team workshops to generate more dialogue around topics such as civic engagement, voting, checking your privilege, disability awareness, Women's History Month and Black History Month. In working with the teams, she allows them to select workshops according to their DEI interests and learning objectives.