Dr. Melody Webb was appointed to the position of University Athletics Director on July 1, 2020 after serving for six years at NSU as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Administration/Senior Woman Administrator. She became the ninth athletics director in the history of Norfolk State, and the first female to hold the role.
"Ms. Webb will lead Spartan Athletics to excellence both on and off the field of competition while also increasing NSU's visibility and competitiveness," NSU President Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston said. "She is an exceptional administrator and is well respected within the field of intercollegiate athletics."
Since stepping into the position, Norfolk State has reached new heights throughout the department. The Spartans have won 16 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) titles, including five in the 2023-24 academic year.
The Norfolk State women’s basketball team secured its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance with a thrilling victory over Howard in the MEAC Championship game. Just over a week later, the Spartan men’s basketball team won the CIT Championship, erasing an 18-point deficit to defeat Purdue Fort-Wayne in the final.
Norfolk State’s track & field and cross country programs racked up conference titles during the 2023-24 campaign. Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams dominated the MEAC championship meet, before the Spartans secured a sweep of the indoor and outdoor crowns on the men’s side.
Norfolk State was also selected to host four NCAA Track & Field Indoor Championships from 2023-26, including the Division I championship in 2025.
In her first season leading the Spartans in 2020-21, both the men's basketball and baseball teams captured MEAC titles. NSU men's basketball defeated Appalachian State in the NCAA Tournament First Four after winning its second-ever MEAC Championship. Spartan baseball, meanwhile, made its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance after capturing its very first MEAC Championship.
Norfolk State was also selected to host four NCAA Track & Field Indoor Championships from 2023-26, including the Division I championship in 2025. Student-athletes continued to excel in the classroom as well, with the department posting an overall GPA of 3.15 after the spring semester, the highest ever.
Webb joined the NSU staff in April of 2014. In that role as Associate AD, she oversaw the business office, facilities, game operations and external relations, which included media relations, ticketing, marketing, promotions, fundraising, and corporate partnerships. Webb helped to provide strategies that drove revenue streams while increasing brand management and awareness to support the mission and vision of NSU athletics. Under her leadership, Webb oversaw more than $2 million in facility upgrades and renovations, including the installation of video scoreboards, locker room renovations, replacement of the original court in Joseph G Echols Hall, and new artificial turf at Dick Price Stadium.
Prior to NSU, Webb was the Associate Commissioner for Business Operations at the Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association (CIAA), where she oversaw financial support to 13 institutions, 3,500 students and more than 5,000 participation opportunities in 14 different championships. Of the 14 championships produced by the CIAA, its annual basketball tournament is one of the nation’s premier sporting events, attracting over 190,000 fans during the course of the week, and was ranked as the third-highest attended basketball tournament among all NCAA divisions.
Before CIAA, Webb served stints as the assistant athletics director for business at George Washington University, business manager at University of Maryland and associate athletics director/SWA at Elizabeth City State University. At George Washington, she was responsible for administrative oversight of a $22 million budget. She assisted with the financial management of a $55 million budget at Maryland and oversaw the administrative operations for athletic financial affairs, purchasing and accounts.
At Elizabeth City, she provided fiscal management and operational oversight of all aspects of the intercollegiate athletics and sports programs. In each position, Webb was responsible for external and internal reports to university administrators, the Department of Education and the NCAA.
Webb currently sits on various committees and boards and is a part of the Collegiate Athletic Business Managers Association (CABMA), Minority Opportunity Athletic Association (MOAA), National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators and is a member of Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
A native of Chicago, Ill., Webb earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Savannah State University, where she was a four-year letter winner in volleyball, serving as team captain for three years. Webb also competed in basketball and track and field where she also received conference honors. After completing her undergraduate degree, she then earned her master’s in public administration with a focus in public policy and management from Bowie State University. Webb completed her Doctorate of Education from the United States Sports Academy in 2024.
