Jackson to Lead Student-Athlete Development
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Shirelle Jackson has been named the Director of Student-Athlete Development for the University of Miami Athletics Department. Jackson spent the previous six years in various capacities in the College of Arts and Sciences at UM.
The Director of Student-Athlete Development is a new position that is intended to enhance the athletic department’s efforts to develop programming that will enhance the total development of our student-athletes.
Through a dedication to the department’s core values of Excellence, Integrity, Passion, Respect and Family the program builds a foundation for our student-athletes to be successful in life after graduation. The program will focus on four cornerstones – Personal development / life skills, Career exploration and development, Community service and Leadership enhancement and development. The student-athlete experience at Miami is part of the overall educational experience and the student-athlete development program provides the forum for our student-athletes to be successful in all aspects of their life.
“We’re excited to have Shirelle join our athletic department,” Senior Associate AD / SWA Jennifer Strawley said. “The breadth of her experiences within athletics and within higher education will be a valuable resource for our student-athletes. I am confident she will build a program that will foster professional development, life skills and growth for our student-athletes that will extend beyond the playing fields.”
Prior to arriving at UM, Shirelle was the Director of Athletic Academic Support Services from 2005-08 at FIU, where she oversaw the management and operation of the school’s academic support program for its 400 student-athletes. She also coordinated the academic and personal advising, class registration, tutors, study hall and study skills workshops. During her tenure at FIU, she saw her full-time staff increase to six and the student-athlete graduation rate improved by 16 percent.
She was the Assistant Director for Student-Athlete Services for 11 months at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. Her first athletics position was as Assistant AD for Student Development from August 2002-July 2004 at Eastern Connecticut State.
Jackson was a four-year letterwinner for the women’s track and field team at Bowling Green. She received her bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green in 1994 and her master’s degree in counseling from Central Connecticut State in 1998. She is currently a doctoral candidate in higher education leadership at Nova Southeastern in Davie.
She is married to Jason Jackson, who is the television host and courtside report for Miami HEAT telecasts on Sun Sports. The couple has two children – Justin and Jordan.
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