Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams: The 'Godmother' of HBCU Sports Leadership

CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams bring dynamic and strategic leadership as the "Godmother" of HBCU sports leadership since 2012.

HOUSTON, TX — Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams will complete her tenth season at the helm of the conference and witness the crowning of two new CIAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament champions at the newly renovated CFG Arena in Baltimore, MD on Feb. 25. 

CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams at the CIAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament; Credit: CIAA

Her dynamic vision and effervescent personality are rare for a league commissioner who swims among the conferences dominated by males. McWilliams and MEAC Commissioner Sonja O. Stills are the two women of the four prominent Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) conference leaders — SWAC, MEAC, CIAA, and SIAC — dictating the direction of black collegiate sports. Recently, all of the commissioners decided to partner and formed the HBCU Collective.

It's similar to the old days of a syndicate deciding to sit down, strategize, and formulate plans to help combat external and internal forces plaguing the HBCU sports landscape. They are the four families of HBCU sports, with other conferences rising, like the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference led by Dr. Kiki Barnes in the NAIA.

"I think we're always trying to find ways to support and help our member institutions in the best way we can," McWilliams told HBCU Legends. "Outside of the governance and the compliance in the ever-changing evolution of athletics that impacts all of us. Such as how name, image, and likeness (NIL) impact has on us to the transfer portal's impact. I think it's an opportunity for our HBCU Collective group to continue working together to figure out how to navigate these issues together. Politically and strategically, making sure that our students want to be at our institutions, and those who want to transfer to our institutions that were ready to receive them."

If Dr. Charles McClelland (SWAC) is viewed as the "Godfather" of the collective, then McWilliams is more likely to be considered the "Godmother" of HBCU sports leadership. "It's pretty awesome to work with them. So we're all in different spaces, but do recognize that we're all in the same place of this HBCU community. Our schools all stand for the same. Whether it's Division I or Division II, we know those differences, the branding, and the history, but this synergy in our HBCU collective still exists. We call ourselves "For power, not the Power Four" because we advocate, develop, and create space for leaders and student-athletes in the HBCUs and beyond."

The CIAA is growing by adding Bluefield State to its ranks in 2023. McWilliams and her staff are resourceful and energetic. The most promising part of her tenure was turning the CIAA into a profitable entity when she was named the Commissioner in 2012. Today, the conference has finalized a streaming deal with HBCU Go.  

The CIAA delivers the best HBCU basketball tournament production on full display at the Baltimore Convention Center until Saturday's title games.  In 2022, the tournament brought in over 66,000 attendees and had a spending impact of $13.9M and total $19.6M in local revenue for Baltimore.  The projections for 2023 hopes to exceed the previous year's revenue, and by all accounts, the CIAA Basketball Tournament is on track.

What's next for Commissioner McWilliams and the CIAA? "If anything, we evaluate what needs to stay, what needs to go, what can we combine, and how we build on and improve things. Sometimes, more is not always better. And so this year, even working with Baltimore, we have come to a condensed schedule, even with them. And we've collaborated more. So I want to see continued collaboration to ensure we're doing meaningful and impactful events."

McWilliams and the CIAA will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Title IX civil rights law.  “I’m incredibly honored to be celebrating my 10-year anniversary as Commissioner in the same year that we celebrate the historic 50th Anniversary of Title IX - it’s a full circle moment for me,” CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams cited. “I started out as a student-athlete playing in the CIAA, and now I’m able to honor the sport in a different way by not only sharing the experience with the community, but also by providing opportunities and access for the next generation.”