Jocelyn Gates

Jocelyn Gates was the Senior Associate Director of Athletics with the Ohio State Dept. of Athletics and Senior Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator at Boston College and with prior positions at South Florida, Duke and the NCAA.

Gates had direct oversight of the women’s basketball, women’s soccer and men’s and women’s golf programs at Boston College. In 2018, she hired women’s basketball coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee, who went on to be named the ACC Coach of the Year in just her second season (2019-20).The 2020 NCAA Division I FBS Nike Administrator of the Year, Gates also had departmental supervision of human resources, student-athlete development, compliance and strength and conditioning while at Boston College. She was also the Deputy Title IX Coordinator for the athletics department, which included 750 student-athletes and 31 programs.

Prior to her position with Boston College, Gates spent four years (2013-17) at the University of South Florida, where she was the Senior Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator. She oversaw the women’s basketball, men’s golf and women’s golf programs while also providing secondary oversight with the football program and oversaw football scheduling. She was also the department’s Title IX Coordinator.

Gates was promoted to her role at USF after holding the title of assistant athletics director/administration from July of 2013 through May of 2014. In that role, she was involved in all day-to-day operations of the department.

Gates joined USF after spending more than four years at Duke University as the Assistant Director for the Iron Dukes Annual Fund (2011-2013) and as Special Assistant to the Vice President/Director of Athletics (2009-2011). Prior to moving to Durham, Gates worked at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis as a Postgraduate Intern in the Diversity & Inclusion department.

Gates is a native of Wilmington, Del., and is a 2003 graduate of Howard University where she lettered four seasons as a member of the women’s soccer program.  After receiving her degree in biology from Howard, she earned a master’s degree in kinesiology-sport psychology from Georgia Southern University in 2008. She is currently pursuing an Executive Doctor of Education (Ed.D).

Gates is married to Dennis Gates, the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Missouri. The couple has three children: Avery, Duke and DJ.