President Gormley to Co-chair A-10 Commission on Racial Equity, Diversity

The Atlantic 10 Conference has announced that President Ken Gormley will co-chair the newly-formed Commission on Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The commission is designed to leverage the collective resources and expertise within the A-10 to facilitate effective, meaningful discussion and sustainable improvement in equality and social justice.

“On behalf of the Atlantic 10, I am proud to announce the formation of the Conference’s Commission on Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. This new initiative marks a crucial step forward in ensuring that our sports teams and staff, our campuses, and society as a whole foster respect for diversity and work to combat racism at its very root,” Gormley said. “We are determined to work collaboratively to foster important dialogue—and to translate those words into action, resulting in meaningful, sustainable improvement in the areas of racial equity, diversity, and inclusion, beginning with the entire A-10 Conference.”

Gormley and La Salle Athletic Director Brian Baptiste will co-chair the commission, which will consist of three representatives from each member institution. The commission is composed of a diverse representation from A-10 governance groups, current and former student-athletes and coaches, as well as academic and university personnel and subject matter experts.

Education and training, advocacy and activism, structure and accountability will be the focus of the commission’s work. The objectives include increasing accountability in normalizing anti-racist behaviors, taking advantage of opportunities to make a stand where necessary to support equity and social justice, increasing education on cultural expectations, conduct and social interactions and support for addressing hiring practices. Forming partnerships and creating strategic alliances that will help achieve these goals will also be part of the charge of the commission.

The commission will work closely with groups within the Atlantic 10 that have formed in the wake of social unrest in 2020, including Athletes Driving Change (A-10 women’s basketball student-athletes) and Connecting for Change (established by A-10 men’s basketball assistant coaches).