On Monday, former Big South basketball player and staff member Sherika A. Montgomery returned to the conference, this time as its new commissioner.
Following a national search the conference named Montgomery its fourth commissioner in conference history, and the first Black woman to hold that position. Starting on May 15th, she will replace Kyle Kallander, who held that position for 27 years and was the second-longest tenured NCAA DI conference commissioner.
“I would like to extend my immense gratitude to the Big South Conference Chief Executive Officers and Search Committee for entrusting me with this tremendous opportunity,” said Montgomery in a statement. “I am absolutely honored and humbled to have been chosen to lead the next generation of Big South leaders. As a former Big South student-athlete, I was fortunate to be led by consummate administrators, championed by supreme coaches — on and off the court — and surrounded by fellow fervent student-athletes committed to excellence. In reacquainting myself with the mission of the Conference, I am yet again reminded of the immense opportunity to serve and ensure the Big South continues to be ‘Where Winners Are Made’ for years to come. I am especially grateful for Commissioner Kallander, his visionary leadership and invaluable mentorship. I look forward to returning to the Big South and joining industry leaders in creating meaningful intercollegiate athletics opportunities focused on optimal student-athlete experiences personally, academically and athletically.”
Montgomery started her college athletics career at Big South member Gardner-Webb University. She graduated with a BS in Sports Management in 2009 and earned her master’s degree in Sports Science and Pedagogy from the university two years later.
She then worked at the Big South for seven years, starting in compliance before working her way up to Assistant Commissioner for Compliance. She moved on to Winthrop University as Associate Athletic Director for Student Success for a year before moving to the Summit League as the Associate Commissioner for Governance and Compliance.
Montgomery then moved to the Missouri Valley Conference for a few years, eventually being appointed Deputy Commissioner of the conference in 2022.
Now Montgomery returns to where it all began for her.
“Announcing the Big South’s next commissioner is something that hasn’t happened in nearly 30 years, yet here we are,” stated Dondi Costin, Big South Conference President and President of Charleston Southern University. “No one could have led this conference better than Kyle [Kallander], so finding his successor was always going to seem like mission impossible. But we found the perfect candidate in Sherika Montgomery, whose meteoric rise from Big South student-athlete to Big South Commissioner offers the clearest possible evidence that the Big South Conference is in fact ‘Where Winners Are Made.’”
“Sherika Montgomery is an outstanding choice to be the next leader of the Big South Conference,” added Missouri Valley Commissioner Jeff Jackson. “Her professionalism, knowledge and experiences as an administrator and student-athlete in the Big South will only lead to a bright future for the membership of this storied conference.”
Congrats to Commissioner Sherika Montgomery!
