Aug. 10, 2010

CLEVELAND - The five winners for the 11th annual John McLendon Memorial Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Awards were announced today by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and the John McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation.

The winners are:

The winners will each receive a $10,000 grant to be used towards postgraduate studies in athletics administration. Funding for the scholarship program has been provided in part by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA); the Cleveland Cavaliers; Major League Baseball (MLB); the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC); the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA); the National Basketball Association (NBA); the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA); and Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Minorities (as defined by federal guidelines) who intend to pursue a postgraduate degree in athletics administration are eligible for these scholarships. Students were required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and have demonstrated leadership qualities on an institutional or community level.

Biographies on each of the winners and more information about the McLendon Award can be found below:

About the John McLendon Memorial Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Program: The John McLendon Memorial Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Awards are presented to senior-level minority students who intend to pursue a graduate degree in athletics administration. If you have any questions regarding this program, please visit www.mclendonminorityfoundation.com.

About NACDA: NACDA, now in its 46th year, is the professional and educational association for more than 6,500 college athletics administrators at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 2,300 athletics administrators annually attend the NACDA Convention. Additionally, NACDA administers 11 professional associations that come under the umbrella of the athletics director. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.

Francie Ekwerekwu attended the University of Oklahoma (OU) where she earned an undergraduate degree in human relations with a minor in psychology. As a member of the volleyball team at OU, Ekwerekwu was a seven-time Sooner Scholar and a seven-time Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll selection. She was also the 2010 Prentice Gautt Award winner, established by the Oklahoma House of Representatives and presented by the OU Black Student Association to the male and female student-athlete at OU who best demonstrate the qualities reminiscent of OU's first African-American scholarship athlete, the award's namesake. Aside from athletics, Ekwerekwu served as president of Bridge Builders, a networking group for African-American athletes at OU, and was also involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Big Brothers/Big Sisters. She began graduate school at Oklahoma this summer, prior to completing her final year of eligibility in the fall. She will pursue a master's degree in human relations with an emphasis on intercollegiate athletics administration in her electives. Following the completion of that degree, she plans on attending law school with an emphasis in athletics compliance and contract so that she can pursue her career goal of working in athletics compliance and administration. Ekwerekwu is a native of Arlington, Texas.

Ashley Hicks graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California (USC) where she earned an undergraduate degree in broadcast journalism with a minor in communication law and media policy. At USC, Hicks worked as a sports reporter and producer for Annenberg Television News and worked as a student assistant in the sports information department her senior year. She was also President and Vice President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated on campus. After graduation, Hicks took part in a media relations internship at the Patriot League as well as an internship with the NCAA for Corporate and Broadcast Alliances. Hicks plans to pursue a double master's degree in sports management and business administration at the University of Illinois. She is originally from Chicago, Illinois.

Tara Jackson earned her undergraduate degree from American University in 2006 and went on to earn a master's of business administration (MBA) degree from the University of Memphis in May 2010. She was a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society for being in the top 15 percent of her MBA class. While she was pursuing her master's degree at Memphis, Jackson also worked full-time for the Memphis Grizzlies as an account executive, where she was named salesperson of the month in November 2008, 2009 and January 2010 and Sales Rookie of the Year for 2008-09. She plans to attend Ohio University to pursue a second master's degree, this time in sports administration, with a concentration in integrated marketing communications. Jackson is originally from Memphis, Tennessee.

Joshua Jones attended Hampton University where he earned a bachelor's degree in sport management and was a four-year member and two-year captain of the track and field team. He was a six-time Hampton University academic award winner and was named to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) All-Academic Team twice. He also served as a university representative for the MEAC student-athlete advisory committee (SAAC) and was the parliamentarian for the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law fraternity on campus. Off campus, Jones used his fluency in sign language to volunteer within the Six Mount Zion Baptist ministry, providing lessons to the youth of the deaf community about important topics for teenagers today. Jones will pursue a dual master's degree in business administration and sport administration from Ohio University. While pursuing his master's degree, Jones will also take part in a fellowship within the Ohio University athletics department, specifically in the ticket and sales department. Jones is originally from Tacoma, Washington.

Stephanie Orji graduated from Cheyney University in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in recreation and leisure management, earning a 3.8 grade point average, while competing as a two-sport athlete in women's basketball and outdoor track and field. She was the first woman from Cheyney to qualify for the Division II NCAA Track and Field National Championship meet and ended her career as Cheyney's school record holder in both the triple and high jumps. Academically, Orji was named to the Dean's List four consecutive years, was in the top 10 percent of her class at Cheyney, earned the President's Scholar Athlete Award for 2010 as the athlete with the highest GPA and was also named to the Keystone Honors Academy. She recently completed an internship at the University of Pennsylvania's Pottruck Center and plans on volunteering with the Girard College High School Lady Cavaliers basketball team before beginning graduate school in the fall. Orji plans to pursue a master's degree in sports management from Delaware State University with long term goals of becoming an athletics director and short term goals of becoming a women's basketball coach. She is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.