CHARLOTTE, NC (February 10, 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 current HBCU administrators that are providing a positive influence on their institutions, women's athletics, and HBCUs, as a whole. These five people 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.

Dr. Makola Abdullah (Virginia State) and Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston (Norfolk State) are presidents of HBCUs, Dr. Linda Bell (Dillard) and Clyde Doughty Jr. (Bowie State) lead their respective athletic departments, and Dr. LaWanda Miller has spent 25-plus years as an administrator and coach at Fayetteville State. All five of these individuals have dedicated decades of their time to the betterment of HBCUs and young lives and for that, they are CIAA Title IX Trailblazers.

Dr. Makola Abdullah | Virginia State President Dr. Makola Abdullah is the President of Virginia State University, a role he has held since February 2016. Under Dr. Abdullah's leadership, the Trojans have achieved a lot, including increasing the four-year graduation rate to the highest recorded mark in university history, the highest retention rate in 20-plus years, and the single largest year-to-year enrollment increase in over a decade. Also, under Dr. Abdullah's guidance, the university has tripled its year-end financial reserves, received its largest single donor gift ($30 million), and has new infrastructure being built concurrently than at any point in the school's 140-year history, including a new 30,000-square-foot admissions building and a new $120 million Alfred W. Harris Academic Commons. In 2021, Virginia State also renamed four buildings to honor Black women who have made significant contributions to the University. Dr. Abdullah sits on several committees, such as the chair of the Infrastructure Committee for the U.S. President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the chair of the Council of Presidents for the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities, and the chair of the Council of Presidents for Virginia Institutions of Higher Education. Dr. Abdullah is also a former chair of the CIAA's Board of Directors. In 2017, Dr. Abdullah was named the HBCU Male President of the Year and was selected as a 2021 Recipient of the Howard University Alumni Award for Distinguished Postgraduate Achievement. He is also the youngest African American to receive a Ph.D. in engineering.

 

Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston | Norfolk State President Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston is the seventh President of Norfolk State University, starting in that position in June 2019. Under Dr. Adams-Gaston's leadership, Norfolk State has successfully achieved the status of a U.S. News and World Report Top 20 Historically Black Colleges and Universities designation in 2020, 2021, and 2022. In Fall 2022, the Spartans had their largest incoming freshman class (1,300 students) and total population (5,785) in many years. The university has realized record operating revenues, 104% above projection, the highest in the history of Norfolk State and the university also received its largest single donor gift ($40 million) in its history. With Dr. Adams-Gaston at the helm, Norfolk State has launched a first-of-its-kind online master's degree in cyber psychology, developed a first of its kind in Virginia Center for African American Public Policy, and created a transformative partnership between Eastern Virginia Medical School, Old Dominion University, and Norfolk State to develop the ONE School of Public Health. Dr. Adams-Gaston has sat on multiple boards and committees, including President Biden's Board of Advisors on HBCUs, NCAA Board of Governors, NCAA Constitution Revision Committee, NCAA Division I Transformation Committee, NCAA Academic Committee Board of Directors.

 

Dr. Linda Bell | Saint Paul's, Livingstone, & Elizabeth City State Student-Athlete & Coach Dr. Linda Bell is a two-time CIAA Volleyball Coach of the Year, earning the honors in 2008 and 2009 while at Elizabeth City State University. Dr. Bell coached the Vikings from 2004 to 2010 and she also served as an assistant athletic director for Elizabeth City State for 11 years. In 2008, Dr. Bell guided the Vikings to their first NCAA Division II Tournament appearance and the Vikings also won four consecutive Eastern Division titles (2007-2010). Dr. Linda Bell's CIAA journey started as a three-sport student-athlete at Saint Paul's College. Dr. Bell served as team captain and earned all-conference accolades in basketball, softball, and volleyball. In 1995, she led Division II in steals as a softball player. In her senior year of basketball, she finished as the second-leading scorer in the CIAA and she finished her volleyball career with over 100 service aces. Dr. Bell earned her bachelor's from St. Paul's in 1996. Dr. Bell would return as an administrator and coach inside the conference, working at Livingstone College for six years and serving in various roles such as Head Volleyball Coach, Senior Woman Administrator, and softball coach. In August 2022, Dr. Bell was announced as the Athletic Director of Dillard University. Some of Dr. Bell's current and prior professional memberships and involvement include serving on the NCAA Division II Championship Committee, serving as President of the CIAA Volleyball Coaches Association, Senior Women's Administrative Chairperson for the SIAC, chair of the NCAA Division II Volleyball Atlantic Regional Ranking and the NCAA Division II Softball Atlantic Regional Ranking committees as well as being a member of the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship Committee, the NCAA Division II Softball Championship Committee, and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Head Coaches Committee.

 

Dr. LaWanda Miller | Fayetteville State Coach & Administrator Dr. LaWanda Miller holds many titles at Fayetteville State as she serves as the Assistant Athletic Director for Business Affairs, Senior Woman Administrator, Deputy Title IX Coordinator, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Advisor, and Head Cheerleading Coach. Dr. Miller, who holds a master's and bachelor's degree from Fayetteville State, joined the Broncos family in 1994 and she has held the role of Head Coach of the Broncos' Cheer Phi Smoov since 1998.  Dr. Miller has served as Vice President of the CIAA Cheerleading Coaches Association, chair of the CIAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and she is a member of the CIAA Diversity and Inclusion Committee, CIAA Management Council, Women Leader in Sports, and National Council for Pay Equity. Dr. Miller spends her cheerleading off-season mentoring new high school and college coaches, judging middle and high school cheerleading tryouts, attending cheerleading conferences and dance clinics, and hosting summer cheerleading camps. A central theme in Dr. Miller's life has always been to serve in a capacity that would enhance diversity and expand opportunities for women with a special focus on minority opportunities within the athletics community and her career is evidence of that.

 

Clyde Doughty Jr. | Bowie State Administrator Clyde Doughty Jr. started as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics of Bowie State University in January 2015 before being elevated to his current title of Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation. The Bulldogs have experienced a lot of success under Doughty Jr., including six consecutive women's bowling conference championships, including trips to the NCAA National Tournament in 2018, 2019, and 2021. In basketball, the men's team won a conference title in 2017 and the women's team appeared in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament in 2018. In football, the Bulldogs won three consecutive conference championships in 2018, 2019, and 2021, and earned four straight NCAA berths (2017-2021). Academics-wise, one of Doughty's first acts in his role as Director of Athletics was to develop the Athletic Academic Enhancement Program. In 2017, the Bulldog Book Bank was created to support the educational needs of student-athletes along with Bulldog Mentorship program that pairs student-athletes with faculty and alumni mentors. In 2018, the AD's Honor Roll was launched, recognizing all student-athletes who achieved a grade point average (GPA) of 3.2 or better.  Doughty Jr. currently serves as President of the CIAA Athletic Directors Association, chairs the CIAA Diversity and Inclusion Committee, a member of the NCAA Common Ground Leadership team, and is a board member of Return to Inclusion.  Lastly, Doughty Jr. created the Bulldog Booster Club, which is the fundraising program for athletics that seeks to work with alumni, donors, and sponsors to develop relationships and partnerships.

On February 25, the CIAA will be crowning the 2023 champion in men's and women's basketball and so every week leading into the CIAA Basketball Tournament, the conference will be recognizing a set of trailblazers.

Additionally, as part of the continued efforts to champion and highlight the 50th Anniversary of Title IX, the CIAA has introduced a dedicated Title IX Page on its website, featuring archives of the CIAA Woman of the Years, various other relevant news releases, and video podcast episodes highlighting some amazing women inside and outside the conference. 
 

Title IX imagery will be featured heavily during the CIAA Tournament. Last month, the CIAA inducted an all-women's Hall of Fame class for 2023 in honor of Title IX. Tickets are currently on sale for the CIAA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which is scheduled for Friday, February 24 at 9 a.m.


About the CIAA 

Founded in 1912, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is the first, and longest running, African American athletic conference in the U.S. and one of the most recognized conferences in Division II. The CIAA conducts 14 championships attended by more than 150,000 fans from around the country. In 2020, the conference celebrates the special 75th anniversary of its Championship Basketball Tournament - an event that has become a must-see in the African American community. The Basketball Tournament has been honored as a 2019 Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism by Sports Destination Management, the leading publication with the largest circulation of sports event planners and tournament directors in the sports tourism market, for both 2018 and 2019. 
 
Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the CIAA is governed by the Presidents and Chancellors of its 12 member-institutions: Bowie State University, Claflin University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, Livingstone College, Saint Augustine's University, Shaw University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, and Winston-Salem State University. Bluefield State will be added as the conference's 13th full member, effective July 1, 2023. For more information on the CIAA, visit theciaa.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.