Roughly a year after returning to the HBCU ranks, Dr. Kristene Kelly is being honored by her alma mater. Dr. Kelly, a former student-athlete and Sports Information Director will be inducted into the Johnson C. Smith University Athletics Hall of Fame during the Eddie C. McGirt Classic/Hall of Fame Weekend, to be held on Friday-Saturday, September 13-14, on the campus of the Charlotte, N.C- based HBCU.
“I am honored and incredibly humbled to be selected for the JCSU Athletics Hall of Fame,” says Dr. Kelly. “I am grateful for the opportunities and experiences that have shaped my journey, and I share this honor with everyone who has been a part of it. This recognition is a testament to the incredible support system at JCSU and beyond.”
Other inductees include Ronnie Armstrong (Football), Rochelle Bodie (Basketball), Leford Green (Track & Field), Anthony Holloman (Football), Carl Lyles (Football), Roosevelt McGruder, LaTondra Morrow (Track & Field/Basketball), Benard Parker (Football), and Joi Surratt (Basketball).
Kelly, a St. Croix, USVI native, is currently the Director of Athletics at Albany State University. She boasts one of the most diverse resumes in college athletics, having served in various roles at all three NCAA divisions. Prior to her appointment at Albany State, she served as the Deputy Athletic Director for Internal Affairs/Senior Woman Administrator at Vanderbilt University, a Power 5 institution in the highly competitive Southeastern Conference (SEC). In addition to her time at Vanderbilt, she worked at Dartmouth College as the Senior Associate AD/SWA before being promoted to Executive Associate AD/SWA (2018-2020), Keene State College as Director of Athletics and Recreation (2016-2018), Saint Augustine’s University as Associate AD/SWA as well as Assistant Professor and Department Chair (2009-2016), and Johnson C. Smith University as Sports Information Director (2002-2009).
Dr. Kristene Kelly served as Sports Information Director at Johnson C. Smith University for six and a half years. During her tenure at her beloved alma mater, she earned many accolades, including being awarded the John Holley Sports Information Director of the Year award (2005), and becoming only the second female to receive that honor. She served in multiple leadership roles at her HBCU, the CIAA, and nationally on NCAA Division II committees. In fact, Kelly served as the Co-chair of the highly successful 2007 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Additionally, Kelly is a graduate of the NCAA’s Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Females (2007).
Kelly earned a bachelor’s degree in sports management and a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the university in 2000. She went on to receive her master’s degree in human performance and sports studies from the University of Tennessee and received her doctoral degree from the United States Sports Academy. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She has been married to Jonathan for twenty years, and together they have one son, Jonathan, Jr., a rising senior at Albany State University.