Bowie State Appoints Dr. Jolisa Williams Interim Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation

BOWIE, MD — Bowie State University has appointed Dr. Jolisa Williams as the interim vice president for intercollegiate athletics and recreation. Williams previously served as the Associate Athletic Director for External Operations and Strategic Engagement.

Williams joined the Bowie State athletics department in August 2021 as the Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations before being promoted to her most recent role. She enters her fourth year with the Bulldog athletics department in 2025–26.

"I am deeply honored and grateful that President Breaux has entrusted me with this role," said Williams. "She is an incredible leader with an exciting vision for excellence at our university, and I am committed to doing everything I can to help advance that vision."

Williams recently served as the department's second-in-command and managing strategic projects and initiatives across the athletics department. She assisted in coordinating athletic department functions and events, including donor engagement opportunities, game-day marketing and promotions, university team functions, and CIAA Conference and NCAA activities and tournaments.

"I am also especially mindful of the incredible legacy left by our beloved Clyde Doughty Jr., whose leadership, commitment to student-athletes and vision for our athletics program will continue to guide the work we do," Williams added. "I look forward to working alongside our coaches, staff and student-athletes to build upon that strong foundation and continue moving our department forward."

In addition to her administrative responsibilities, Williams leads special projects that include sport-specific marketing and brand enhancement plans, targeted external events and donor engagement initiatives while overseeing athletic communications for all 14 varsity programs.

Prior to Bowie State, Williams served as the Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations at Shaw University from 2015–21. During her tenure, she helped elevate the department's communications and branding efforts, leading a redesign of the athletics website and enhancing social media platforms that ranked among the top 30 in NCAA Division II and first in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) in 2017. She also introduced the Shaw Report, a weekly podcast featuring coaching interviews, recaps and previews of athletic events.

Williams also led the department's streaming platform, the Shaw Bears Sports Network, which streamed football, men's and women's basketball, volleyball, soccer and softball in one season for the first time in program history.

Throughout her career, Williams has supported several championship programs. At Shaw, she handled publicity for the 2016 women's volleyball team that captured its first CIAA championship in 21 years and advanced to the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance. She also managed coverage of the Lady Bears' 2018 CIAA volleyball championship run and NCAA Tournament appearance, as well as the women's tennis program's CIAA three-peat from 2017–19.

"Serving our student-athletes and all of Bulldog Nation is truly the privilege of a lifetime—one I will never take for granted," Williams said. "My pledge to the Bowie State community is that I will work determinedly every day to ensure that Bowie State Athletics continues to grow, succeed and represent our university with pride and excellence."

Williams was named the CIAA John Holley Sports Information Director of the Year following the 2016–17, 2018–19, and 2023-24 seasons. Since 2017, she has served as a member of the CIAA Management Council after previously being elected president of the CIAA Sports Information Directors Association. She served as the CIAA Northern Division vice president on the Management Council.

Before Shaw, Williams served as the Director of Sports Information and Marketing at Richard Bland College in 2014, where she was the primary contact for nine sports programs, including the men's basketball team that captured the 2015 Region 10 Conference title and the NJCAA Division II National Championship. She also led coverage of the 2015 Region 10 regular-season champion softball team and five track and field national qualifiers.

Williams also spent time as an intern in athletics communications at Virginia State University while completing her graduate studies, assisting with publicity for several programs while serving as the primary contact for women's basketball, volleyball, women's tennis and softball.

A 2012 magna cum laude graduate of Saint Augustine's University, Williams earned a Bachelor of Science in sport management while serving as a four-year letterwinner for the Lady Falcons women's basketball team. She later earned a master's degree in sport management from Virginia State University in 2014 and a doctorate in athletic administration from National University (formerly Northcentral University) in 2022.

A native of Charles City, Virginia, Williams was a standout student-athlete at Charles City High School, where she ranks second on the school's all-time scoring list and holds the career assists record. She was inducted into the Charles City High School Hall of Fame on December 3, 2023.

Williams holds memberships with Women Leaders in Sports, College Sports Communicators and the Black College Sports Information Directors Association. She is also a graduate of the Dr. Charles Whitcomb NCAA Leadership Institute.

For the most up-to-date information on Bowie State Athletics and its 14 varsity sport teams, visit bsubulldogs.com.

Click here to read article