The University of Virginia Makes a Transformational Athletic Director Hire

(Photo by Matt Riley, UVA Athletics)

Good evening, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) sports fans.

Let’s get right to it – the University of Virginia just made a transformational hire in Carla Williams as the Cavaliers Athletic Director:

Carla Williams has been named the University of Virginia’s director of athletics, President Teresa A. Sullivan announced Sunday. Williams has been an athletics administrator at the University of Georgia for the past 13 years, most recently serving as the deputy director of athletics since 2015.

She succeeds Craig Littlepage, who has served as the Cavaliers’ athletics director for the past 16 years.

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During Williams’ tenure as an administrator at Georgia, its athletics teams won 16 NCAA team championships and 37 Southeastern Conference titles.

“I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to lead one of the nation’s elite athletics programs,” Williams said. “Academic achievement, athletic excellence, operating with integrity, a commitment to maximum effort at all times and a strong sense of teamwork and unity are the core principles that will guide our athletics department under my leadership.

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Williams becomes the first female African-American athletics director at a Power Five conference institution and is the fifth active female athletics director at that level.

This is a very significant moment in NCAA Division I college sports – and it cannot be understated:  Williams is the first African American athletic director at a Power 5 conference academic institution.

I can’t tell you how impressed I am with Virginia’s leadership for taking this major step. This is a transformational hire – smashing the glass ceiling – breaking down substantial barriers.  The ACC is a leader for ensuring upward mobility for women in key athletic management positions (See Virginia Tech’s deputy athletic director getting the call at UNLV for the AD job there), Debbie Yow at NC State, and now Williams at Virginia. 

Kudos to Virginia.  We’ll give the Hoos a #WahooWa for today!!

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