Salatha Willis - Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Success & Engagement/Head of Football Academics - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Salatha Willis

Title:
Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Success & Engagement/Head of Football Academics
Email:
Phone:
2702

Salatha Willis was appointed Associate Athletic Director of Diversity, Culture and Climate, a newly established position within the Department of Athletics, in July 2020. Willis is charged with developing and implementing new approaches to creating a highly engaged, inclusive and equitable culture for all of the department’s student-athletes, administrators, coaches and staff. Willis provides oversight and effective delivery of diversity educational and developmental programming, evaluate and measure the effectiveness of existing programs and services, and serve on and support University-wide committees and community groups. Willis serves as the sport supervisor for the Orange’s cross country and track and field programs and oversees Syracuse’s student-athlete engagement division.

He also oversees the athletic department’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee, serves as a liason with the student-led DISAB group

Willis has two decades of experience in higher education and most recently served as Syracuse’s associate director of the Office of Student-Athlete Academic Development, where he monitored and tracked the initial and continuing eligibility of football and softball student-athletes. Willis assisted in all aspects of academic support, including arranging tutors, academic monitoring and reporting, advising and orientations. He was also responsible for keeping coaches informed of student-athletes’ academic progress, the APR and eligibility concerns. Additionally, Willis worked with other Student-Athlete Academic Development staff members to implement life-skills programming.

A former collegiate student-athlete himself, Willis was a member of the Western Michigan basketball team for three seasons. He lettered for the Broncos in 1995 and 1996. Willis graduated from WMU with a bachelor’s degree in computer science in 1999.

The following year, Willis stayed in Kalamazoo to begin his career in higher education. He started out as a residence hall director then rose up the ranks, ultimately serving as Western Michigan’s student orientation coordinator and assistant director of admissions.

In 2007, Willis was hired as the director of first-year programs and university testing at Indiana State, a position he held until being named vice president of enrollment management and student affairs at Martin University (Ind.) in 2011.

Willis transitioned to college athletics in 2012, serving as an academic counselor and compliance assistant at Colgate for a year prior to joining the Orange in 2013.

In addition to his undergraduate degree, Willis holds a master’s degree in educational leadership from Western Michigan. He earned his doctorate in educational leadership from Indiana State in 2013.

Willis and his wife, Sheila, live in DeWitt and have four children.