A win-win
After she accepted the job offer, she moved to California and was able to continue her studies remotely. One very busy year later, she was promoted to her current position as a director. Now, she oversees compliance for four of the school’s sports programs to ensure that NCAA, Pac-12, and university rules and regulations are enforced. She also serves as a compliance liaison for multiple constituent groups across campus and within the athletics department.
“What really drives me to do this job is the behind the scenes work, so many people don’t understand the role that compliance plays,” she said.
“I don’t really need external fulfillment. Writing a waiver to get a kid eligible and seeing them on the volleyball court, or watching as someone walks across the stage to graduate—you’re able to help people fill in the gaps to live out their dreams.”
Returning to the nest
In the fall of 2020, Williams “returned” to Temple to teach an online athletic administration course, helping create a curriculum that reflects the current realities of college athletics.
Her desire to give back emerges from the inspiration she draws from her Temple experiences—as an athlete and from the other side as a graduate assistant in the compliance office. She admired how the administrators there engaged with the student-athletes in a personal and not merely punitive or transactional way.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “I’ve had work experience and I’ve also been a student-athlete, so I think I have a lot to bring to the table.”
—By Elisa Ludwig, CLA ’99, and Lauri Kochis