The abrupt resignation of Florida A&M University Athletic Director Kortne Gosha in April is only one of many reasons why FAMU’s athletic department has been in the headlines this year.
Michael Smith was named interim athletic director following Gosha’s departure. According to famuathletics.com, this is Smith’s third time in the position. He was the interim athletic director in 2010 and again in 2013.
It seems that the wait for a permanent athletic director will not be much longer, and two of the three finalists are women.
One, Angela Suggs, is president and Chief Executive Officer of the Florida Sports Foundation. According to playinflorida.com, her job is to support Florida’s multi-billion-dollar sports industry. The Tallahassee native and FAMU alumna leads efforts to host sporting events among many other things. She also previously worked for FAMU as senior associate athletics director and senior woman administrator prior to her current position.
According to dartmouthsports.com, finalist Tiffani-Dawn Sykes was promoted from associate athletics director to senior associate athletics director and she simultaneously fulfills the role of senior women administrator at the Ivy League school.
The former athlete has been promoted to executive senior associate athletics director in only her third year at Dartmouth. She oversees athletics communications, compliance and the Dartmouth Peak Performance initiative.
It is especially important to note that in her prior role she oversaw all concerns surrounding player eligibility during the COVID-19 pandemic. FAMU made national news last month when 26 football players were found to be ineligible prior to the season opener.
The third finalist is Craig Angelos, deputy director of athletics at Temple University. According to owlsports.com, Angelos has served in leadership roles at five different Division 1 universities. His accomplishments include a 20% increase in overall fundraising while serving as the senior associate athletic director for revenue enhancement at Florida International University, land led the effort to build the $70 million football facility at Florida Atlantic University. He also served as the executive senior associate athletic director at the University of South Florida where he oversaw external areas and the football team.
FAMU President Larry Robinson is responsible for selecting the permanent athletic director. That individual will be tasked with bringing stability to a department that has spent most of the last decade on probation with the NCAA.