Delaware State University

Alecia Shields-Gadson was appointed by President Dr. Tony Allen to lead the Delaware State University Intercollegiate Athletics program in August 2021 after previously serving as the interim director. 
Shields-Gadson has over 25 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics as a senior-level administrator and head coach. Prior to joining the Delaware State family, she was an athletics administrator at Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rival Coppin State University and Alcorn State University of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. 
While furnishing oversight for 20 varsity programs, Shields-Gadson has helped position Delaware State Athletics as a leader in providing opportunities for women to compete in Division I athletics. Shields Gadson has been at the forefront of securing affiliate conference membership for women's sports at DSU. She serves on various NCAA and MEAC committees. She is currently a NCAA Division I council member and has chaired the NCAA Minorities and Opportunities Committee and the Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Committee. Shields-Gadson currently chairs the Championship Administrative Committee and is a member of the Strategic Long Range Planning Committee for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. (MEAC).
President Allen stated, “Alecia is a knowledgeable, talented, and highly motivated individual. She's familiar with all our initiatives and is already the driving force behind many of them. I am pleased to have an Athletic Director of her caliber to step into the role without missing a beat." 
Shields-Gadson has proven to be a driving force in the intercollegiate athletics space. Delaware Online News has twice recognized her as one of the "Most Influential Leaders in Delaware."
During the 2023 Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, Shields Gadson was invited to Essence Magazine's The Black Women in Sports Brunch, where she served as a panelist for Changing the Game: Black Women and HBCU Athletics, highlighting the MEAC as a leader in providing opportunities for women to lead Division I athletic departments.
One of the most recent transformative initiatives has been the groundbreaking partnership with NFL Hall of Fame football athlete Donald Driver and his Driven Elite Sports Performance group, which provides Delaware State University student-athletes with comprehensive strength & conditioning, holistic health, nutrition management, mental health programming, leadership training and internships to the over 460 DSU student-athletes. Shields Gadson has been applauded for her innovation in creating this unique partnership for an HBCU athletic department.
A graduate of Southern University and A&M College, Shields-Gadson was an outstanding track and field champion and team captain. As head coach of men and women at Alcorn State University, she led the program to the first-ever conference championship in school history and was named Coach of the Year several times. While at Coppin State, she was renowned for her expertise in the jumps and combined events, culminating in coaching stand-out athlete Christina Epps (Chiazor) to USA champion, world championship team, and 2016 Olympic team in the triple jump. 
She is a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. and United Methodist Women and other organizations, including Women Leaders in College Sports, Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA), and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). 
A native of New Orleans, La., Shields Gadson earned a bachelor's degree in English/Communications from Southern University and A&M College and a master's degree in Athletic Administration and Secondary Education/Physical Education from Alcorn State. She is a Delaware State University Higher Educational Leadership doctoral candidate.