2019 NACDA and Affiliates Annual Convention

Courtney Vinson
Senior Associate Athletic Director/ Sport Administration
Northern Illinois University


Courtney Vinson is completing her 17th year as a Division I athletics administrator at Northern Illinois University (NIU) where she serves as the Senior Associate Athletics Director for Sport Administration. Her duties at NIU include sport oversight for men’s basketball, wrestling, and women’s soccer. She also serves as the department's primary liaison to various NIU's campus partners, oversees the Athletics Compliance Office, and is the chair for athletics department’s Diversity Integration Group (DIG). NIU won the 2022 NCAA/MOAA Award for Diversity and Inclusion based on the work that DIG completed during the global pandemic. Prior to arriving at NIU, the Long Island, N.Y. native spent three years at the University of Memphis, where she was the Associate Athletic Director for Sports Services and Senior Woman Administrator. Vinson helped to develop and implement athletic department and compliance policies and procedures. She also was the sport administrator for multiple programs. Prior to her time at Memphis, Vinson held roles at University of Central Florida, Clemson University, and the University of Akron in compliance. The Florida A&M University alumna was a track and field student-athlete that earned her bachelor’s degree in Journalism. She also completed a compliance graduate assistantship at Marshall University where she earned a master’s degree in athletic administration. Vinson is a graduate of NCAA Pathways and participated in the 2021 LEAD1 Institute and TopConnect for Administrators. She is a member of: National Association for Athletic Compliance (NAAC), National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), and Minority Opportunities Athletics Association (MOAA).

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