RENO, Nev. – Nevada Athletics Director Stephanie Rempe named Merlene Aitken-Smith Deputy Athletics Director, Wednesday.

Aitken-Smith, who brings over 20 years of athletics administration experience to Nevada, spent the past two-plus years at Grambling State, first serving as Senior Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator before being named the university's Associate Vice President/Chief Compliance Officer in August 2021. In that role, Aitken-Smith had oversight of University compliance, the University Safety and Risk Management Team, Civil Rights and Title IX Team, and served as co-chair of Grambling State's Campus Safety Committee. She also served as liaison to University of Louisiana System Attorney & Custodian for Public Records Request.

In her role in athletics from 2020-21, Aitken-Smith was the department's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, as well as the institutional representative in the creation and adoption of NIL Louisiana Board of Regents (BOR) policy. Among her duties were oversight of Student-Athletic Academic Services, developing the Student-Athlete Academic Success Plan, Student-Athlete Leadership Programs and the Student-Athlete Handbook. She also served as the sport administrator for the Football, Women's Basketball, Women's Soccer, Volleyball, Cross-Country & Track & Field programs.

"I am thrilled to announce the hiring of Merlene Aitken Smith as our Deputy Athletics Director. Merlene is a seasoned administrator with vast experience from a variety of institutions both in athletics and on campus," Rempe said. "As I searched for the perfect fit for the needs of our department, Merlene's colleagues, and my personal interactions with her, continued to validate that we have exactly what we need for the Wolf Pack. I am excited to welcome Merlene and her family to the Wolf Pack, and find their home in Nevada!"

At Nevada, Aitken-Smith will have oversight of a range of units, including health and wellness (strength and conditioning, athletic training, student-athlete nutrition and mental health), events, facilities, and capital projects, and human resources. She will also serve as a sport administrator for multiple Wolf Pack teams.

Aitken-Smith, who earned her Juris Doctorate from Massachusetts School of Law, will also serve as the department's liaison to the university's general counsel.

"I am excited and honored to join Nevada as we continue to serve our student-athletes, coaches, and staff," Aitken-Smith said. "The opportunity to work under Stephanie Rempe's leadership and alongside athletic staff members, and collaborate with faculty and staff across campus as we continue to build and elevate the success of our students in the classroom, competition and the community is an exceptional experience."

Aitken-Smith's 20-plus years of athletics administration experience include previous positions at Georgia Tech, North Carolina A&T, Winston Salem State, Kansas, Washington, Michigan State, and Clayton State, in addition to her recent role at Grambling State.

At Grambling State, she led the athletics compliance program and supervised the academic services program. Aitken-Smith also served as the primary liaison for the Title IX, Financial Aid, and Registrar's Offices to ensure compliance and proper certification of student-athlete eligibility.

During her seven-year stint at Clayton State, Aitken-Smith coordinated day-to-day compliance and rules education for all intercollegiate athletics programs. Her primary areas of oversight included the compliance office, academic services/life-skills, women's basketball, men's golf, and cheerleading. From May-September 2018, she also served as the Interim Director of Athletics.

Under Aitken-Smith's leadership, Clayton State student-athletes set records with grade point averages, and Clayton State earned the Peach Belt Conference President's Academic Award in May 2019.

In addition to leading students to academic excellence, Aitken-Smith established the Laker Leadership Program, a life-skills program that featured various personal and professional sessions throughout the academic year.
 

Aitken-Smith has also served on numerous Institutional, Peach Belt Conference, and NCAA committees. During 2019-2020, she was selected to participate in the prestigious NCAA Pathway Program for aspiring athletics directors and conference commissioners. She has been appointed to serve on the Board for the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) and serves as a member of Women Leaders in College Sports (formerly NACWAA) where she is on the Nominating Committee and the 2018 Atlanta Local Organizing Committee. Aitken-Smith also served as the NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women Internship Grant Chair-2018 and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

A native of Yonkers, N.Y., Aitken-Smith earned her Bachelor of Arts in political science from Brooklyn College and her Juris Doctorate from Massachusetts School of Law.