UMBC hires Tiffany D. Tucker as school’s first female and minority athletic director

Tiffany D. Tucker will be the first woman and person of color to serve as UMBC athletic director, the university announced Tuesday afternoon.

Tucker will be the school’s sixth athletic director and succeeds Brian Barrio, who was not retained in April. An introductory news conference will be scheduled for next week.

“With only seven percent of Division I athletic directors being women of color, UMBC is proud to be a leader in recognizing talent like Tiffany,” UMBC president Valerie Sheares Ashby said in a written statement. “I feel incredibly fortunate that she has chosen us. I look forward to ushering in a new era for our athletics and recreation programs that will take our students to the next level of achievement.”

Tucker inherits an athletic department and university that was under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for its handling of a former swim coach accused of sexually harassing his athletes. The federal agency concluded March 18 that UMBC failed to protect the victims of harassment and discrimination by Chad Cradock, who was placed on leave in October 2020 and died by suicide in March 2021, and the university agreed to earmark $4.14 million for settlements for those impacted.

On April 3, the school announced that it had parted ways with Barrio after more than four years together. During Barrio’s tenure, the Retrievers captured America East regular-season and tournament titles in softball, three league regular-season crowns and three tournament championships in volleyball and two conference championships in men’s swimming.

Tucker, who received her bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in sport administration from Hampton, most recently was deputy athletic director at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She was also UNCW’s senior associate athletic director and senior woman administrator, held administrative positions at Elizabeth City State, Hampton and South Carolina State and coached basketball at Allegheny, Radford, Francis Marion and Claflin.

“I am beyond thrilled to embark on this incredible journey as the new athletics director at UMBC,” Tucker, who was also a four-year member of the Tar Heels women’s basketball team, said in the statement. “As an athletics leader, my mission is to create a vibrant, infectious atmosphere that empowers student-athletes, coaches, and staff to reach unprecedented heights. I am committed to fostering best-in-class excellence in competition, the classroom, and the campus community.”

In February 2021, Tucker coordinated the National Girls & Women in Sports Day Leadership Summit to pay tribute to the achievements of female athletes. One month later, she was appointed to a four-year term on the NCAA Women’s Basketball Rules Committee where she is one of 13 members responsible for guiding member schools in implementing experimental and permanent rules for the sport.

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That same year, Tucker was named by Sports Illustrated to its Elle-evate: 100 Influential Black Women in Sports, and a year later, she was recognized as the Nell Jackson Nike Executive of the Year by Women Leaders in College Sports. In 2020, she was cited by the Hampton University Office of Alumni Affairs as part of the Forty Under 40 Alumni Recognition Society.

In 2015, Tucker was chosen by the United States Olympic Committee to take part in the Ethnic Minority Women in Coaching Leadership Program in Colorado Springs. She also graduated from the National Association for Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (now Women Leaders in College Sports Institute for Administrative Advancement) in 2008, the Leadership Enhancement Institute in 2017, and the Executive Institute in 2021.

“Tiffany is a visionary leader and change agent with a demonstrated commitment to the well-being and overall development of student-athletes,” Sheares Ashby said. “She has an impressive work ethic and a track record of promoting equity and supporting student-athletes in all areas of their lives. Throughout the search process, Tiffany distinguished herself by consistently placing the physical, mental, and emotional health of student-athletes at the top of her priorities. I am excited to work with Tiffany and look forward to the great things to come for UMBC athletics and our community.”