Join us for a conversation on understanding racial bias in sports administration and coaching with Jacqueline Blackett, Deputy Athletics Director at Columbia University and Joe Jones, Men’s Basketball Head Coach at Boston University. The event will be moderated by Jason Dumas, Sports Director at KRON 4 in San Francisco and CommonBondz Board Member.
If you missed the discussion, watch it below:
Jacqueline P. Blackett joined the staff at Columbia University in 1989 and became an Athletics Administrator in 1993, after four years as the head coach of Columbia’s women's track and field and cross country programs. A member of the senior management team of the Department for 25 years, Blackett has worked closely with the past three Athletics Directors on the strategic management and overall success of over 5,000 student-athletes.
Currently serving as the Deputy Athletics Director for Athletics, Physical Education & Recreation, Senior Woman Administrator and Deputy Title IX Coordinator; Blackett has general oversight of Varsity Athletics and is instrumental in the day-to-day operations of the Department. She has direct sports supervision for women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s cross country/track & field programs. Blackett also oversees Physical Education and Recreation which provides service for 36 clubs and sports programs, 16 intramural activities, group fitness, campus recreation and the University’s required physical education program. As the Deputy Title IX Coordinator, Blackett is charged with communicating information regarding University policies related to sexual harassment, sexual assault, stalking and other gender-based misconduct.
Blackett served as the Department’s Associate Athletics Director for Compliance and Student-Athlete Services from 1993 to 2010 and was responsible for compliance and Student-Athlete Well-Being, while acting as the Department’s liaison to a variety of offices on campus. In July 2009, Blackett was recognized for her outstanding efforts on behalf of Columbia's student-athletes when she was named the Jostens Administrator of the Year in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) by the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA).
Active in NCAA Division I Governance, Blackett began service to the membership in 2002 as a member of the Division I Academic/Eligibility and Compliance Cabinet (AEC). As a member of the AEC she was selected to be one of the consultants chosen by the Presidents of the Board of Directors to initiate a study on the issue of academic reform. This work led to the development of the Academic Performance Program which measures the academic success of all Division I student-athletes. Blackett would later Chair the AEC from 2005-2007. Following her time on the AEC Blackett served as a member of the NCAA Soccer Rules Committee and the Women’s Soccer Regional Selection Committee before returning to academic governance as a member of the NCAA Division I Academic Cabinet from 2012-2015, serving as the Chair from 2013-2014.
Currently a member of the NCAA Division I Committee on Academics(COA), Blackett serves on the Penalty and Appeals sub-committee and represents the COA on the newly formed Transfer Working Group and the Division I Council’s Legislative Committee. Blackett also holds membership in Women’s Leadership in College Sports
Prior to joining the Columbia University staff, Blackett served as the Head Cross Country/Track & Field Coach at the University of Rochester where she led the Yellowjackets to their best ever NCAA finish as a runner-up at the 1989 championships. Seven of the Eight members of the Rochester Hall of Fame competed under Blackett’s leadership.
A Barbados native who grew up in Brooklyn, Blackett was an outstanding athlete at the University of Rochester, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology in 1981.
Blackett currently resides in Morningside Heights, N.Y.
Joe Jones
With over 20 years of coaching experience, Joe Jones enters the 2022-23 season at the helm with the Boston University men's basketball team seeking his third postseason berth in four years and sixth overall in 11 years under his watchful eye. He's been recognized by HoopsHD.com as the Patriot League Coach of the Year in two of the last three years.
The Long Island native has led BU to nine top-five finishes in the conference standings, highlighted by a Patriot League regular season title in 2014. The Terriers have finished second on three occasions, including in 2020 en route to the conference tournament crown. This past year, they took third and went on to eliminate UNC Greensboro in the opening round of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). At the end of the 2019-20 season, he became a three-time finalist for the Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year Award (top NCAA Division I minority coach) and also received his first HoopsHD.com's Patriot League Coach of the Year honor.
Jones has coached 22 All-Conference Team honorees, including 2022 Patriot League Player of the Year Sukhmail Mathon ('22), 2012 America East Player of the Year Darryl Partin ('12), two-time All-Patriot League First Team honoree Eric Fanning ('17). 2020 Patriot League Tournament MVP Max Mahoney ('20) graduated after becoming the fourth Terrier in program history to reach 1,500 points and 700 rebounds. Mahoney left BU as the career record holder for field goal shooting percentage (60.1) and a Lou Henson All-American.
Two-time All-PL honoree Cedric Hankerson ('18) finished his career 13th all-time at BU with 1,299 points, fourth in made 3-pointers (235) and fourth in steals (177) after former teammate John Papale ('16) flushed 287 3-pointers, second most in program history. Since the 2012-13 season, nine Terriers have claimed All-Rookie honors, including Ethan Brittain-Watts in 2020, Jonas Harper in 2019 and Walter Whyte in 2018.
All three men along with Mahoney and the rest of the roster helped BU have a historic 2019-20 campaign. Besides claiming their first-ever road conference tournament title with a 64-61 win at defending champion Colgate, the Terriers also earned their first-ever win against the Southeastern Conference at South Carolina (78-70). Other highlights included Javante McCoy becoming the 39th Terrier to reach the 1,000-point milestone and BU finishing second in the PL for scoring defense (66.7 ppg) while holding opponents to 43.7 FG%.
In his 11 seasons with the Terriers, Jones has surpassed names like Rick Pitino, Mike Jarvis and former NBA head coach John Kuester to No. 2 all-time at BU with 187 victories after helping guide the Terriers to back-to-back Patriot League semifinal appearances in 2017 and 2018. Besides snapping Lehigh's seven-game win streak during the 2018 Patriot League quarterfinals and Bucknell's 15-game home win streak, BU shot 46.2 percent from the field, the team's highest mark since 1993-94, and ranked tied-for-fifth in the NCAA with 11 players reaching double figures in points.