NCAA Honours Dr. Ty-Ron Douglas
Bermudian Dr. Ty-Ron Douglas has been recognized as one of the NCAA Champions of Diversity and Inclusion for 2024, with the NCAA saying “Douglas is a national leader in the DEI landscape.”
A spokesperson said, “The NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee has named three individuals as 2024 Champions of Diversity and Inclusion for the summer season. The three are recognized for their campus and community work in supporting ethnic minorities and other underrepresented populations in intercollegiate athletics.
The honorees are:
- Ty-Ron Douglas, associate athletics director, diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and justice, California.
- Sara Lee, senior associate director of athletics/senior woman administrator, Denison.
- John Lesaine, associate dean/associate athletics director for student-athlete success, Newberry.
“The recognition was created in 2015 by the MOIC, the NCAA’s Association-wide committee that champions causes and topics that involve diversity and inclusion in the membership. The honor is given twice a year to individuals at NCAA colleges, universities and athletics conferences who have shown a commitment to influencing and promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging; advocating for and supporting underrepresented populations; and diversifying pipeline opportunities within college athletics. Individuals are nominated for the honor, with the MOIC reviewing and selecting the final three recipients.”
Adam Hutchinson, chair of the NCAA MOIC and director of athletics at Earlham, said, “Congratulations to Dr. Ty-Ron Douglas, Sara Lee and Dr. John Lesaine for this well-earned recognition of their contribution to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in college athletics.
“Their impact on sport and the student-athlete experience extends beyond the borders of their campuses and is felt across all levels of the NCAA.”
The spokesperson said, “Douglas is a national leader in the DEI landscape and has provided leadership in California athletics since January 2021. Focusing on three DEIBJ pillars of educate, celebrate and accelerate, he has implemented listening and learning sessions, robust heritage month celebrations, weekly blogs on belonging, and panel sessions to amplify voices within the California community.
“Douglas consistently creates spaces for employees and student-athletes to express their identities and form communities with individuals from similar backgrounds. As such, he is credited with developing the California athletics employee engagement group infrastructure for Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, LGBTQ+ and female-identifying communities.
“Douglas also arranged and led 34 California student-athletes, staff and coaches on an educational journey to the Black Student-Athlete Summit in 2023, which was one of the largest groups in attendance.
“He further influenced the culture of the department by inviting student-athletes and staff to listen and engage with activist Harry Edwards for Edwards’ “Last Lecture” series, and he was instrumental with the department’s diverse vendor initiative and its “Lifting the People Who Lift the People” video series. Douglas has earned numerous awards, including being recognized by the Pac-12 Network as a trailblazing DEI leader. He was the 2023 Professional of the Year at the Black Student-Athlete Summit and a recipient of a 2024 Chancellor’s Outstanding Staff Award for his leadership of the Champions of Justice Black History Month that honored John Carlos, Harry Edwards and Tommie Smith.”
