NCAA Hires Kappa Alpha Psi Brother As Senior VP of Inclusion, Education and Community Engagement

The NCAA announced Thursday that Kappa Alpha Psi Brother Dr. Derrick Gragg has been selected as their new senior vice president for inclusion, education and community engagement.

According to the press release, Gragg, currently vice president and director of athletics at Tulsa, will serve as the Association’s chief diversity and inclusion officer and report to Emmert. He also will serve on the NCAA senior management team.

As senior vice president, Gragg will have a dual focus on internal and external initiatives and programming. He will lead all internal inclusion operations and supervise national office staff in inclusion, education and community engagement. Externally, he will serve as a national office ambassador to member organizations to promote the NCAA core values of diversity and inclusion. 

“Derrick brings exceptional experience and knowledge to the NCAA, and we look forward to his strong leadership around diversity, inclusion and equity policies and procedures for the Association,” NCAA President Mark Emmertt said. “As a former FBS football student-athlete and longtime athletics administrator in roles in many segments of Division I, Derrick understands the intercollegiate landscape and will be able to formulate relationships where the NCAA can work with constituencies to build more inclusive environments, which will enhance the experiences of student-athletes, coaches and athletics administrators. We welcome him and his family to Indianapolis.”

Gragg has two decades of experience in college athletics administration, before his tenure at Tulsa, He previously spent seven years, 2006 to 2013, as the athletic director at Eastern Michigan University and six years, 2000 to 2006, as senior associate athletic director at the University of Arkansa.

Gragg also is familiar with what it is like to be a student athlete because he played college football at Vanderbilt University, where he also joined Kappa Alpha Psi, lettering as a wide receiver for the Commodores for four seasons, 1988 to 1991.

“As a former student-athlete and 27-year intercollegiate athletics administrator, I have dedicated my entire career to the betterment of young people,” Gragg said. “During this historic era in our country, I look forward to supporting our student-athletes, engaging coaches and staff members, as well as working with our membership to identify ways to ensure that diversity, equity and inclusion are reflected on all levels. I am honored to be entrusted with this responsibility and look forward to identifying ways to help unite our 1,100 institutions to make a significant impact on higher education and our country as a whole.”

“Gragg will work to strengthen inclusive education and its reach to the membership and national office staff around policies and programming,” the NCAA stated in a press release. “He also will oversee the NCAA’s leadership development office, which has increased online programming for student-athletes in the areas of career instruction and social justice activism.”

Gragg will begin his new role with the NCAA on Oct. 5.