On Sept. 4, Dawn Turner was announced as ETSU’s new senior associate athletic director for compliance and student-athlete welfare.

(Contributed ETSU)

Most recently, Turner served as the associate athletic director for compliance at Gardner Webb University. She has been serving in various leadership roles pertaining to intercollegiate athletics for over 30 years. 

Holding experience as an athletic director with schools such as the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Radford University and North Carolina State University, Turner also is credited with launching the Big South Leadership Conference for student-athletes, which began in 2005.

In addition, Turner spent several years working directly with the NCAA as part of the Division I Men’s and Women’s Tennis Committee, as well as being a member of the NCAA Volleyball Committee.

Turner, having recently acquired her doctorate in education through ETSU’s global sport leadership program, had only great things to say about her educational experience as a Buccaneer. 

“It was definitely worth the three years that we put into it,” Turner said. “I think I’m a different person because of it.”

That great educational experience evolved into an emotional connection with ETSU that Dr. Turner said made all the difference when the opportunity presented itself to become the new senior associate athletic director for compliance.

“I was like, this is what I was hoping for when I finished the [global sport leadership] program,” Turner said. “I thought, yeah, I can imagine myself working here, and I would love to work here.”

Turner said when she saw the position available at ETSU and read what the position entailed, she was very eager to apply and get involved.

“I couldn’t apply fast enough,” Turner said. “I just wanted to come here and give back to the school that’s given me something that I never thought I would be able to get, which [is] a doctoral degree.”