HANOVER, N.H. – Tiffani-Dawn Sykes, the Senior Associate Athletics Director for Varsity Sports and Senior Woman’s Administrator (SWA), has been named to the 14-person NCAA Olympic Sports Liaison Committee, which facilitates communication and understanding between the NCAA, the United States Olympic Commission (USOC) and the national governing bodies.
Through this communication, the committee will assist in facilitating the best possible development of elite athletes within the contact of the NCAA’s commitment to education and a broad-based development of all student-athletes. The committee will also provide an avenue of communication and access into the NCAA process and, where appropriate, make recommendations to the NCAA membership. In addition, the committee will strive to provide education to the USOC, national governing bodies and student-athletes regarding NCAA rules and regulations as they apply to world-class athletes.
Sykes has completed her orientation and will be formally introduced to the committee on Monday, Dec. 13.
“It is truly an honor to serve on this committee,” Sykes said. “Dartmouth College has a rich history in Olympic sports, and I look forward to representing our athletes, as well as all Ivy League Olympic-sport athletes in this role. As a former Olympic-sport athlete myself, this is something that I am extremely passionate about and look forward to advancing the interests of all of these athletes across the entire association.”
Tiffani-Dawn Sykes has served in her current role in Dartmouth Athletics since the fall of 2020, providing leadership and direction to all of Dartmouth’s 35 NCAA Division I varsity sports. She has direct oversight of select varsity sport programs and other functional areas within the department, including varsity athletics communications, compliance and the ground-breaking Dartmouth Peak Performance (DP2) initiative.
Originally hired by the department in October of 2019 as the associate athletics director for compliance, Sykes oversaw all of the complex and difficult issues surrounding player eligibility during the COVID-19 pandemic, served as the sport supervisor for the ski team as well, plus spearheaded the successful effort to bring the NCAA Skiing Championships to Hanover in 2025. She also took over oversight of men’s and women’s tennis, softball and women’s volleyball prior to her promotion.
Sykes began her athletics career in sports information at Saint Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, Virginia, taking on the role of the SWA during her four years there. Other stops along the way include Virginia Union, Grambling State (where she earned her master’s in sport administration), the Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association (CIAA) conference office, Norfolk State and Chowan University.
A 2001 graduate of Virginia State with a bachelor’s degree in health, physical education, recreation and dance, Sykes was a team captain and four-year starter for the Trojans’ volleyball team as well as a three-year letter winner on the track and field team. She is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, Women Leaders in College Sports and the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association.