Felicia Martin, vice president of the NCAA Eligibility Center, has been named interim senior vice president of inclusion, education and community engagement by President Mark Emmert. Her appointment begins today.
"Felicia brings a wealth of experience at both the national office and on member campuses. The combination of her background and leadership style makes her ideally suited to guide us through such an important time," Emmert said.
As interim senior vice president, Martin will focus on both internal and external initiatives and programming. The current senior vice president of inclusion, education and community engagement, Derrick Gragg, has accepted a position as vice president for athletics and recreation at Northwestern.Â
Martin became the vice president of the Eligibility Center in February 2017. In that role, she is responsible for the Eligibility Center's strategic direction and oversees a staff that each year certifies academics and amateurism credentials for approximately 100,000 prospective college athletes in Divisions I and II.
Before coming to the NCAA, Martin was the senior associate director of athletics for academics, student services and sports administration at Texas Tech. Â She joined the Texas Tech athletics staff in June 1999 as a counseling specialist for the tutorial and mentor program. Martin also served as the assistant executive director at the D1A Athletic Directors' Association, which now is known as the LEAD1 Association.
A native of Bay Springs, Mississippi, Martin earned her bachelor's degree in educational psychology and master's degree in counselor education from Mississippi State.
A national search for a new permanent senior vice president of inclusion, education and community engagement will begin later this summer.
