The NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee and office of inclusion have selected two individuals as Champions of Diversity and Inclusion for the summer. The individuals earned the honor for their campus and community work in support of ethnic minorities and other underrepresented populations in intercollegiate athletics.
The MOIC, which is an NCAA Association-wide committee that champions causes and topics that involve ethnic minorities in the membership, created the honor in 2015 in conjunction with the NCAA office of inclusion. The honor recognizes individuals from NCAA colleges, universities and athletics conferences who have shown a commitment to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging; advocating for ethnic minorities; and advancing others within the college athletics space that goes beyond their profession. MOIC and NCAA inclusion also recognized three Association members in the spring for their inclusive efforts.
The newest MOIC Champions of Diversity and Inclusion are:
- Valencia Jordan, former senior woman administrator/senior associate athletics director, Tennessee State.
- Juliana Smith, executive senior associate athletics director for mission impact and enrichment, Baylor.
"These incredible honorees are vivid examples of how diligence and dedication to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging positively impact the experiences of student-athletes, coaches and administrators," said Felicia Martin, NCAA senior vice president of inclusion, education and community engagement. "Their efforts to create more inclusive environments deserve to be featured as best in class and acknowledged as an incredible value to their communities. Congratulations to the Champions of Diversity and Inclusion."
Valencia Jordan
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.
Jordan was a head coach of women's volleyball and basketball at Tennessee State who reached across diverse backgrounds to bring positive change. During her tenure, she helped student-athletes reach their potential in competition and showed them the value of their student-athlete experience.
Jordan was one of the first athletics administrators to speak about mental health through the eyes of Tennessee State student-athletes who are Black, Indigenous and people of color. She was also an asset for athletes and others during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing her support and rallying individuals during times of social distancing.
Jordan helped incoming student-athletes each year with adjusting to college life and the culture of a historically Black university. She supported student-athletes in becoming more vocal and guided them toward success. People knew that when Jordan spoke, it was generally around something that would benefit student-athletes. She educated athletes of all backgrounds and was an admired administrator at Tennessee State and in the Ohio Valley Conference during her tenure.
Juliana Smith
Smith has been a longtime advocate for DEI and is considered a significant influencer and transformer in athletics, steering inclusive communities into competitive excellence. Her work has had significant impact on student-athletes, athletics administrators and others.
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.
She has been a member of campus DEI advisory groups and has educated supervisors, hiring managers and search committees on the topic of bias. Her efforts at Colgate helped the university with recruitment and hiring.
Smith led the Division of Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics DEI Committee at Colgate, which helped produce and execute a plan to build a more inclusive community. Additionally, she was instrumental in pushing a framework around DEI that was used to assist in decision-making efforts.
Smith also worked at Oklahoma, where she welcomed, guided and worked with Athletics Diversity Council graduate assistants.
