Alecia Shields-Gadson, Delaware State University‘s former deputy athletic director and interim athletic director, has now officially been brought on as the new athletic director! Get the full story from Kevin Tresolini at Delaware News Journal below.

Delaware State University’s Esaias Guthrie (6) runs into the end zone for a touchdown after intercepting the ball in the Hornets’ 17-10 win against Howard in their season and home opener Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. Credit: Jason Minto, Special to Delaware News Journal

Alecia Shields-Gadson has been elevated to the full-time position of athletic director at Delaware State University, the school announced Thursday.

Shields-Gadson was deputy athletic director at Delaware State and had served as interim AD since Scott Gines’ April retirement. She’d been hired by DSU in 2016 as senior associate director of athletics for compliance and senior women’s administrator.

“Great athletics programs rely on building depth among the student-athletes, the coaching staff and the administrators,” DSU president Dr. Tony Allen said in the school’s announcement. “Alecia is knowledgeable, talented and [a] highly motivated individual. She’s familiar with all our initiatives and is already the driving force behind many of them. I am pleased to have an athletic director of her caliber to step into the role without missing a beat.’’

Alecia Shields-Gadson (Credit: Delaware State University Athletics)

Shields-Gadson is a New Orleans native who captained and was a conference championship jumper on the track and field team at Southern University, then earned a master’s degree from Alcorn State in 1995. She remained at Alcorn State in athletic department administrative roles and coached men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams.

She then moved to Delaware State’s Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference rival Coppin State and was deputy athletic director, senior women’s administrator and women’s cross country and track and field coach.

“There is great energy right now at Delaware State and I’m pleased to guide a team of great coaches and staff, along with over 400 champions and scholars who compete in 19 sports as we commence our journey to become the top diverse and contemporary HBCU in the country,” Shields-Gadson said in the DSU announcement.