Donna Polk Named Coppin State Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator
BALTIMORE – Coppin State University Director of Athletics Derek Carter has announced that Donna Polk has joined the Department as its Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator. Polk brings more than 25 years of experience in collegiate athletics, high school sports administration, coaching, and the nonprofit sector.
In her position, Polk will play a major role in advancing Coppin’s athletics strategic priorities while supporting student-athlete development and strengthening the department’s internal and external operations.
“Donna is a tremendous leader whose experience and vision will strengthen our department and enhance the experience of our student-athletes,” said Carter. “Her proven record of innovation makes her an outstanding addition to our team.
From 2020 to 2023, Polk served as Executive Director of the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA), becoming the organization’s first female and first African American director. Her tenure marked a period of significant transformation. She successfully guided Delaware’s high school athletics programs through the COVID-19 pandemic, led the development of DIAA’s first strategic plan, and oversaw a major restructuring of state athletic regulations. Polk modernized operations by implementing new digital platforms and launching a redesigned website in 2021. She also advanced competitive equity by transitioning the state from a two-division to a three-tier football classification system and expanded championship opportunities by moving several state finals, softball, girl’s soccer, and lacrosse, to university venues. In 2022, she championed the recognition of boy’s volleyball as a sponsored sport and supported the growth of girls wrestling as an emerging sport.
Following her DIAA leadership, Polk continued her impact in the nonprofit sector as a director with Church World Service Georgetown, where she ensured program integrity across multiple federally funded initiatives. This role further strengthened her expertise in regulatory compliance, organizational systems, and mission-driven program oversight.
Polk’s collegiate athletics background includes leadership roles at Bowie State University, where she served as Interim Athletic Director, Associate Athletic Director, and head women’s basketball coach. She guided the Lady Bulldogs to back-to-back CIAA championship game appearances and earned NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional rankings in consecutive seasons. She also held administrative and coaching positions at Columbia Union College (now Washington Adventist University) and coached at both Bowie High School and Indian River High School.
Active at the national and conference levels, Polk has served on numerous NFHS, NCAA, CIAA, and institutional committees. Her service includes the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Atlantic Regional Ranking Committee (2007–10, 2013–15), the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Committee (2013–15), and the NCAA Division II Softball Atlantic Regional Ranking Committee (2013–14).
Polk earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Counseling Psychology from Columbia Union College in 1992 and her Master of Arts in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix in 2006. She attended NACWAA (now Women Leaders in Sports) Institute for Administrative Advancement in 2012.
A Delaware native, Polk was a standout three-sport athlete at Sussex Central High School, earning multiple All-Conference and All-State honors. She scored 1,000 career points as a collegiate basketball student-athlete and was inducted into the Sussex Central High School Hall of Fame in 2021 and the Delaware Afro-American Sports Hall of Fame in April 2026. She has been recognized as a Title IX Delaware Trailblazer by the NFHS and twice named one of Delaware’s Most Influential People by Delaware Online.
