CLEVELAND - The Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) is pleased to announce Dawnyell Fletcher, assistant director of academic support for Vanderbilt University as the 2020 Rudy Keeling Scholarship recipient. Fletcher will receive a $2,500 postgraduate scholarship toward an advanced degree with the intention of furthering administrative pursuits within the intercollegiate athletics industry. For the fourth year in a row, the scholarship will be presented with financial assistance of sponsor, Bob McCloskey Insurance.

As the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Commissioner, Rudy Keeling was the first African-American ever to head a major sports conference, a position he held from 2007 until his retirement in January 2013. He was also a former member of the MOAA Board of Directors. Candidates for the scholarship were reviewed by the MOAA leadership and members of the Keeling Family.

As the assistant director of academic support, Fletcher manages the daily operations of the tutoring program, including recruitment, hiring, training, and assessing tutors and the program.  Additionally, she serves as the learning specialist for the department and as an academic counselor for football.

Fletcher served as a member of the summer bridge committee for 6 years, being chair for the latter 2 years, and was an integral part in helping the team to redevelop curriculum for the program, which later received the 2018 National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A) Model Practice Award.

Prior to joining Vanderbilt, Fletcher worked in a number of academic support roles including, learning assistant at the University of South Carolina, assistant tutor coordinator at North Carolina State University, and academic mentor at the University of Memphis.

She currently serves on the interim Chancellor's Diversity Council as a part of the Community Engagement Subcommittee and is an active member of the N4A and the College and Reading Learning Association (CRLA).

Fletcher is pursuing her Ed.D. in educational leadership from Tennessee State University.

About the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association: Administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association promotes equitable employment opportunities for minorities in the athletics industry through the exchange of ideas, the creation of networking opportunities and the avocation of an increase in employment for minorities in athletics administration positions at all levels of the sports industry. The association also promotes cultivating a sports environment that supports the values necessary to accept aspiring professionals from all walks of life. For more information on the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association, please visit www.moaaweb.com.