CHARLOTTE, NC (February 8, 2023) — In continued celebration and acknowledgment of the 50th Anniversary of Title IX, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the nation's oldest historically Black athletic conference, is recognizing five women that have helped shape their institutions, the CIAA, and women's athletics. These women are just five of a total of 50 CIAA Title IX Trailblazers, who will be recognized during the
2023 CIAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament, which will be held from February 21-25 at the CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, MD.
With the
2023 CIAA Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field Championship less than a week away, the CIAA is highlighting five trailblazers that have shaped the outlook of the sport today.
LaVerne Sweat is a legendary track & field coach that cemented her legacy inside the CIAA years ago, while
Inez Turner continues to build upon hers, first at Winston-Salem State and now at Fayetteville State.
Dr. Kristine Kelly and
Etienne Thomas are two administrators that have presided over track & field conference championships while
Melody Webb and Norfolk State will be the first HBCU to host an NCAA Division I National Championship when the NCAA Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field Championship come to Norfolk State and Virginia Beach in 2023.
Dr. Kristine Kelly | Johnson C. Smith & St. Augustine's
Administrator & Student-Athlete
From 2009 to 2016, Dr. Kelly was an associate athletic director and the Senior Woman Administrator at St. Augustine's University. Her duties included overseeing the day-to-day operations of the 14-sport program and serving as deputy Title IX coordinator for athletics. Dr. Kelly was twice (2011 & 2013) named the CIAA Senior Woman Administrator of the Year. While at St. Augustine's, Kelly was part of an administration that presided over five consecutive men's outdoor track & field national championships.
Before arriving at St. Augustine's, Dr. Kelly was the Sports Information Director at Johnson C. Smith University from 2002 to 2009. She was the second female to be awarded the CIAA John Holley Sports Information Director of the Year (2005).
Dr. Kelly has completed multiple leadership development institutes, including the NCAA Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Women (2007). She completed the Vanderbilt Leadership Academy in 2021 and was selected to participate in the Lead1 Diversity Fellowship Program. Dr. Kelly is a very active committee member within the NCAA, with service on the NCAA Woman of the Year Committee and the NCAA Division II Track and Field Committee. She served as a member of the CIAA Management Council and as a committee member for numerous CIAA championships.
A 2000 graduate of Johnson C. Smith, Dr. Kelly played softball, earning all-rookie honors from the conference as a freshman and captain status as a senior. In addition to serving as a sports information intern all four years, she was also a student trainer for the football team.
Currently, Dr. Kelly serves as the Deputy Athletic Director for Internal Affairs and Senior Woman Administrator at Vanderbilt University.
