“As long as my work and my experience have shown that I’m not there just for the quota, that I’m there because I’m qualified for the position, I’m satisfied,” Gilbert says.

She encourages athletic administrators to better inform student-athletes about careers in athletic administration beyond coaching. Also, individuals embarking on a career in college athletics should be open to exploring different avenues, she urges. Gilbert started out in academics, then went into compliance and now works in life skills.

Blackett says student-athletes should be directed to a wide range of internships, not just those that will slot them into the areas of academic adviser or enrichment support services, which tend to be the areas of athletic administration where you find most women of color.

“There aren’t a lot of women of color in college athletics that run the budget department,” Blackett says.

Among the questions the panelists will tackle are:

What are the “movable” barriers (issues that we can eliminate with some work) that prohibit women of color from getting into the athletic administration and management business?

What can organizations (long-term) or individuals (short-term) do to support female administrators of color?

How can we enhance the pipeline for female athletic administrators of color?

Topics relevant to coaches will also be discussed.

“BWSF’s efforts to identify the barriers that prohibit Black females from becoming college sports administrators and coaches [are] critical because no one else is up for the challenge,” Gill says. “The Women’s Sports Foundation is the diva in the business and they have not helped leverage opportunities for Black women or recognize the unique intersection they experience.”

“It’s opening a discussion,” Blackett says. “It’s training our up-and-coming younger colleagues. Forums like this and grassroots approaches are very helpful.”