The NAIA’s only Black woman commish leans in and leads rebrand to HBCU Athletic Conference

There are 21 conferences in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Only one is led by a Black woman commissioner.

Effective July 1, that league will have a new name that embraces its mission and membership: the HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC), with the tagline, "Where Winners Thrive."

After serving for three years in an interim capacity, Kiki Baker Barnes was installed as permanent commissioner of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) in June 2022. She said her leadership team worked with Black-owned marketing firm Ten35 for two years before choosing the new name.

Read TheGrio's full story on Commissioner Baker Barnes and her trailblazing leadership.