Courtney Gay, Ph.D.: Enhancing the Student-Athlete Experience

Dr. Courtney Gay is responsible for leading the University of Georgia Athletic Association's inclusion efforts and strategic initiatives. In this role, Dr. Gay develops, manages, and implements strategies that promote and foster an inclusive environment and strategically engages internal and external constituents.

Dr. Gay joined the University of Georgia Athletic Association staff in October 2012 as an academic counselor. Prior to assuming her current role, she served as the Associate Director/Diversity and Inclusion Strategist at the Rankin Smith, Sr. Student-Athlete Academic Center.

Before beginning her tenure at Georgia, Dr. Gay gained community affairs and player development experience in roles with the Atlanta Braves, Fort Worth Flyers (NBA G League), and the National Football League (NFL).?

A native of Houston, Texas, Dr. Gay earned a bachelor of journalism and a bachelor of arts from the University of Missouri, a master of science in kinesiology with a focus in sport management from Texas A&M University, and a doctorate in counseling and student personnel services with an emphasis in college student affairs administration from the University of Georgia.

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I serve as our assistant athletic director for inclusive excellence and strategic engagement. For us, that means creating an athletic environment - including our staff, coaches, and student-athletes – where people are valued. We want to create an athletic community where everyone can thrive, grow, and achieve their goals.?

There is a lot of change occurring in college athletics, and I am trying to be proactive about what these changes will mean for my work in the inclusive excellence space. Obviously, a lot is yet to be resolved, but at Georgia, we are steadfast in our commitment to the student-athlete. In fact, it’s one of the reasons I came to Georgia - the genuine commitment to making sure we give our student-athletes the very best experience. In that regard the message hasn’t changed: keep doing what you’re doing in trying to provide our student-athletes the best possible experience. Prioritizing the experience of our student-athletes will always be my North Star.

I think some of our student-athlete development strategies have changed. We’ve always talked to student-athletes about branding, identity, and finances. But now, given the shift, we’ve emphasized more of those things because it resonates more. We are trying to take advantage of the opportunity to have more in-depth conversations about all of the new opportunities for our student-athletes.?

The transfer portal’s impact on the sense of community really depends on the sport. Some sports have seen more transition than others, but it definitely can have an impact. On the flip side, I think it’s made us be even more intentional about pouring everything we have into a student’s experience whether they’re here for one year or four. We’re used to having students come in as freshmen, but now we are getting students with differing years of eligibility remaining or graduate transfers with a year or two, so it’s definitely a different dynamic.

Ultimately, we’re all still figuring out how things will look down the line in this new landscape of college athletics. Change isn’t always bad; there will naturally be some positives and some challenges that we will have to thoughtfully navigate.?

The ideal scenario for NIL is one in which student-athletes can capitalize on their marketability and use it to help set themselves up for the future, and we can provide educational opportunities to help them as they work to achieve this.?