On July 16, 2024, UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby announced that Tiffany D. Tucker was named Director of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation.
Tucker is the sixth athletics director since UMBC’s founding in 1966.
“Tiffany is a visionary leader and change agent with a demonstrated commitment to the well-being and overall development of student-athletes,” said UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby. "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.”
“I am beyond thrilled to embark on this incredible journey as the new athletics director at UMBC,” Tucker said. “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.”
Tucker comes to UMBC from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), where she has served as Deputy Athletic Director since August 2021. Before that, she was UNCW’s Senior Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator. Tucker held previous administrative positions at Elizabeth City State University, Hampton University, and South Carolina State University. She coached basketball at Allegheny College, Radford University, Francis Marion University, and Claflin University.
At UNCW, Tucker played vital roles in the overall operations of the athletic department and led searches for the program’s Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Head Volleyball Coach, Director of Sports Performance, and Senior Associate AD for Internal Operations. On campus, she was a member of the search committee for a new Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs. She served on the Community Engagement & Applied Learning Advisory Board, Emergency Planning Committee, eSports Steering Committee, and Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Program Committee. Tucker participated in the UNC System Executive Leadership Institute, a 10-month program designed to build the next generation of top leadership from within the University of North Carolina System.
In February 2021, Tucker organized the National Girls & Women in Sports Day Leadership Summit to celebrate the successes and achievements of female athletes. In March 2021, Tucker was appointed to a four-year term on the NCAA Women’s Basketball Rules Committee. She is one of 13 members responsible for guiding member schools in implementing experimental and permanent rules for the sport.
Tucker has also been active in the Colonial Athletic Association’s leadership. She served as chair of the CAA Family: United for Change Committee, helping develop a strategic direction and providing an opportunity for institutions to share resources related to anti-racism and social justice efforts.
In 2021, she was recognized by Sports Illustrated in Elle-evate: 100 Influential Black Women in Sports. A year later, she was named Nell Jackson Nike Executive of the Year by Women Leaders in College Sports. She was honored by the Hampton University Office of Alumni Affairs for inclusion in the Forty Under 40 Alumni Recognition Society for 2020.
Tucker graduated from the NCAA-sponsored Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute in 2018. She serves on the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association Membership Committee and the Women Leaders in College Sports Education and Professional Development Committee. She is currently participating in the NCAA Pathway Program.
The United States Olympic Committee selected Tucker to participate in the Ethnic Minority Women in Coaching Leadership Program in Colorado Springs in 2015. She is also a 2008 graduate (and now member) of the National Association for Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators, now Women Leaders in College Sports Institute for Administrative Advancement; a 2017 graduate of the Leadership Enhancement Institute; and a 2021 graduate of the Executive Institute.
Tucker received her bachelor’s degree in philosophy from UNC and a master’s degree in sport administration from Hampton University.
