28-07-2025
Hands-On Leadership Rewriting the HBCU Athletics Playbook
For Tiffani-Dawn Sykes, returning to Virginia State University isn't just a new chapter - it's a full-circle moment that began as an HBCU student-athlete walking the same campus halls.
"It's amazing to be home. It's really a full circle moment for me," she said at CIAA Media Day.
As a freshman, Sykes saw something powerful: a Black woman leading athletics - Alfreeda Goff - showing her that this career was possible.
"I knew I could work in college athletics because… Alfreeda Goff was a Black woman who was the athletics director there."
Now, Sykes holds the same seat of power, building on the foundation laid by Goff and her predecessor, longtime AD Peggy Davis.
"Being in her footsteps - and following Peggy Davis, my predecessor - is really special."
The Trojans came heartbreakingly close to a CIAA title last season. There's no dancing around the goal this year - it's championship or bust.
Sykes put two players on the spot at an alumni event ahead of CIAA Media Day. "I asked Donovan, 'What can Trojan fans look forward to?' He said, 'A championship, Bruno said [he's] most looking forward to the championship game."
Their clarity fuels hers.
"My expectations are their expectations - we're back in Durham to end our season in the championship game and then go on to the NCAA playoffs."
The message is loud and clear: this program isn't just competing - it's coming to win.
Sykes doesn't just lead Athletics at Virginia State University - she lives it. Whether taking photos with championship teams or pulling up to away games, she's everywhere her student-athletes are.
"I can't be an armchair AD. I need to be involved," she said.
For her, presence isn't performance - it's strategy. She knows being hands-on helps uncover gaps, support staff, and elevate the student-athlete experience.
"There are things even a coach has blind spots on… Being present lets me say, 'Hey, we can do this differently.'"
And that presence builds something just as important as strategy: trust.
"Student-athletes and coaches earn trust when they see that you are around the program."
Tiffani-Dawn Sykes isn't the only one fully invested. University President Dr. Makola Abdullah is equally immersed - and it's making a difference.
"It's awesome to work for a leader like President Abdul - transformational, progressive, and sincerely interested in athletics," Sykes said.
His support goes beyond suits and speeches. He asks coaches about their schemes, learns rosters, and shows up.
"At one event, he came upstairs and did a chalk talk with some of our coaches. He wants to know, 'What kind of offense do you run? Is defense your thing?"
He's all in, and not just for show.
"Not just good-looking facilities - he wants the right people leading our young people… and he wants to see what it looks like on film."
Trojan alumni have been discussing a move to Division I. Sykes respects the ambition, but she's focused on the program's current state.
"There's not a hint from me on moving to Division I… though there is interest from our alumni."
With 20 NCAA sports and a growing profile, Virginia State looks like a D1 school in many ways. But that's not the playbook - not yet.
"People see our sports profile and think that's a step toward D1. But really, we want to win a national championship in Division II."
And to do that, she knows what it takes: strategy, structure, and strong financial backing.
"It's my job to bring in more resources and allocate them properly… I want us to have a nationally recognized athletics program. Once we do that, I'll entertain the conversation. But right now, I don't think we're ready."
From her legacy-driven return to her sideline presence, Tiffani-Dawn Sykes is building something bigger than a season - she's building a model.
If Virginia State lives up to its expectations - and if Sykes gets the buy-in she's working for - this could be the year Trojan athletics doesn't just win, it arrives.
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