Three finalists for Johnson C. Smith athletics director

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Johnson C. Smith's next athletics director will be charged with building on recent investments in the program, which includes facilities like McGirt Field.

Johnson C. Smith’s search for a new athletics director is down to three candidates.

Denisha Hendricks, Paula Jackson and Kevin Wilson are finalists to succeed Steve Joyner, who is also the Golden Bulls basketball coach. Jackson was the first candidate to interview on campus on Jan. 24, followed by Hendricks two days later. Wilson will interview Jan. 29.

The new hire will be charged with building on recent investments in athletics, which include a new Student Athlete Achievement Center, synthetic playing surface for McGirt Field and scholarship increases, notably in football, where the Golden Bulls fund the NCAA Division II maximum of 36 equivalents.

Hendricks, who is director of parks and recreation with the city of Selma, Ala., is familiar with JCSU, where she was assistant athletics director and senior women’s administrator from 2005-09. Before that, Hendricks was also senior women’s administrator at Livingstone (2002-05), the Golden Bulls’ CIAA rival.

Hendricks has led athletic departments at Division II Kentucky State (2009-14) and Division I Chicago State (2014-16), where she managed operations budgets of $3.2 million and $7.1 million respectively.

Jackson, who is Norfolk State’s deputy director of athletics for external relations, manages strategic communications, fundraising, marketing and sponsorships as well as the Spartan Athletic Fund.

From 2022-23, Jackson was interim AD at Hampton, where she brokered a deal for the Pirates’ name, image and likeness collective as well as opened negotiations on a naming rights deal for the campus football stadium. She also oversaw creation of Hampton Nation, the fundraising arm of the school’s athletics department.

Jackson led the athletics department at Division II Lincoln (Mo.) from 2008-09 and was Savannah State’s SWA and compliance director from 2005-07 and Morehead State from 2004-05. She was SWA and director of development and events at Clark Atlanta from 2001-04.

Wilson, like Jackson, has experience at Lincoln (Mo.), where he is vice president for advancement and athletics, where he oversees a budget of $4 million. Among his achievements since joining the staff in 2021 is moving the Blue Tigers to the Great Lakes Valley Conference starting with the 2024-25 academic year and creation of an NIL program for Blue Tigers athletics.

Lincoln added men’s and women’s soccer and renovated facilities for softball in addition to new facilities for bowling and golf.

A four-year football letter winner at Duke, Wilson earned his master’s at North Carolina Central, where he was associate AD for development from 2014-16 and director of men’s basketball operations (2009-12).

Wilson was Florida A&M’s associate AD for external operations (2020-21), responsible for licensing and corporate partnerships and part of a team that secured apparel rights deal with Nike’s LeBron James brand. He was assistant AD for development and marketing at Fayetteville State from 2012-14.

Wilson has Power Five experience as assistant athletics director for major gifts at Washington State (2019-20) and assistant director for championship resources at Central Florida, where he secured over $1.5 million in new major gift commitments for football, men's and women’s basketball.

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