Sports Illustrated Feature
Tamica Smith Jones joined the Department of Athletics at Kennesaw State on Feb. 1, 2021, as the Chief Operating Officer.
Jones runs the internal day-to-day operations of the department and oversees strategic planning initiatives, departmental policies, game operations, budgets, scheduling, facilities, and capital projects. She also serves as the program administrator for men's and women's basketball and is the department's DEI liaison.
Jones brought forward an annual fundraising tool for coaches to the Athletics Department that branched campus-wide, called KSU Raise, which has supported programs to raise significant resources to support student-athletes and staff. It has made special projects possible such as foreign tours.
While serving as program administrator for both women’s and men’s basketball, one of her first major tasks was leading the process of hiring Octavia Blue as the head women’s basketball coach in April 2021. Women’s basketball saw its first home winning season and conference winning season in nearly a decade in 2022-23.
Jones also helped bring Alabama’s Antoine Pettway to the Black and Gold as KSU’s new head men’s basketball coach a month after Owls shattered almost every program D1 record en route to their first conference title and appearance in March Madness under the leadership of former coach Amir Abdur-Rahim.
KSU continues to reach championship-level success on and off the field in all 18 sports, whereas Jones serves as senior administrator and chief liaison to support Executive Staff and Program Administrators guiding respective programs. The Owls are involved in over 1,000 hours of community service, giving back to the Kennesaw, Cobb, and North Georgia communities, and recognized as leaders on campus.
Jones served a five-year term on the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship Sport Committee and the Women Leaders in College Sports Board and Foundation Sub-Committee. Jones is one of the founding members of the executive board for the newly formed Black Athletics Directors Alliance and Chair of the Race and Social Justice Taskforce.
Jones has emceed the 2022 and 2023 at the NCAA Career in Sports Forum where in addition to serving as a presenting speaker, she has guided over 200 selected NCAA student-athletes to learn and explore potential careers in sports.
“This is my gift back to the industry by teaching, developing, and inspiring rising stars,” said Jones.
She was selected to attend the 2023 LEAD1 Association Institute, the 23
rd annual conference that has served as one of college sport’s premier leadership development programs designed to help senior athletics administrators prepare to become the next generation of athletic directors. Jones was also chosen to moderate at the 2023 NACDA Senior Administrators Mentoring Institute: The Search Process for Coaches in Orlando.
Jones made her way to Kennesaw State with over 20 years of experience in collegiate athletics, including the previous five years as the Director of Athletics at UC Riverside. She also has recent stops at the University of Texas, San Antonio (UTSA) as the Senior Associate Athletics Director and Senior Women’s Administrator and Clark Atlanta University as the Director of Athletics.
Under her guidance at UC Riverside, Jones oversaw the department’s winningest academic year in Division I history, leading the Highlanders to their highest finish in the Big West Conference Commissioner’s Cup standings. She also spearheaded successful fundraising goals as part of the university’s first comprehensive capital campaign, “Living the Promise." In her inaugural year with the program, UC Riverside captured two Big West Conference Championships and the program’s first DI National Championship, an individual performance by Vesta Bell at the 2016 NCAA Track & Field Championship.
Under the direction of Jones, the Highlanders led the way on a wide range of strategic initiatives and important issues impacting today’s student-athlete, including advocating for social justice and an increased focus on mental health and wellness.
In 2017, she was named the Women Leaders in College Sports Division I Administrator of the Year, awarded the 61st Assembly District Woman of Distinction Award by California State Assembly member, Jose Medina, and recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential African Americans in Los Angeles. Sports Illustrated and Empower Onyx featured her in their
Elle-evate: 100 Influential Black Women in Sports series.
Prior to her arrival at UC Riverside, Jones served as Senior Associate AD for Internal Affairs and Senior Woman Administrator at UTSA from 2013-2015, where she was the Chief Diversity, Inclusion & Outreach Officer. She also served as the department lead for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Student Athlete Well-Being and Career and Life Skills programming.
Before her days in San Antonio, Jones served as Athletics Director for Clark Atlanta University (Division II) from 2008-2013, leading the Panthers to seven Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Championships, including the first men’s basketball title in 46 years and first-ever women’s cross country and volleyball crowns.
A native of Atlanta, Jones played basketball at Troy University in Alabama, before transferring and graduating with B.S. in business management from Alabama A&M University, where she participated in basketball and cross-country. She also holds a master’s degree in public administration from Savannah State University, and a certificate in business administration from Warren National University (formerly Kennedy Western University).
