Taja Dotson joined Colgate University in 2025 as the Assistant Director of Leadership & Development in Athletics. In this role, she supports student-athlete success through comprehensive programming that emphasizes academic achievement, career development, leadership, and community engagement. She advises student-athlete affinity groups such as Raiders of Color Connect (ROCC) and Athlete Ally, oversees community service initiatives, and partners with campus resources to foster an inclusive and supportive environment for student-athletes. At Colgate, she also serves on the PERA DEI Committee, the LGBTQ+ Student Coalition, Staff Affirmative Action Oversight Committee, and the Women of Color Planning Committee. She additionally oversees the academic success and skill development of Field Hockey; Men's Ice Hockey; Men's Lacrosse; Women's Lacrosse; Women's Rowing; Men's Soccer; Women's Soccer; Track & Field / Cross Country.
Prior to Colgate, Dotson served as an Assistant Director of Academic & Career Counseling with Kansas Athletics, where she worked primarily with the football program. During her time at Kansas, she supported Football in achieving a 3.0+ team GPA for six consecutive semesters, including record highs of 3.14 (Fall 2023), 3.24 (Fall 2024), and 3.46 (Spring 2025). She also developed and led a Post-Bachelor’s Education Seminar on advanced degree options, which increased the number of football student-athletes pursuing master’s degrees by 65%. In addition to her work at Kansas, she spent time at the University of Arizona with C.A.T.S. Academics, where she supported Women’s Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Gymnastics, and Track & Field. Earlier in her career, she gained experience at Kansas State University as a Student-Athlete Services intern working with Football and Men’s Golf.
Dotson is an active member of the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A), where she has held multiple leadership positions, including involvement with the Emerging Professionals and Mentorship Program sub-committee. She is also a member of Women Leaders in College Sports.
A Tampa, Florida native, Dotson earned both her B.A. in Foreign Language and Literature Studies and her M.S. in Human Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Sport Management from the University of Alabama. While at Alabama, she was a member of the Crimson Tide Rowing team and began her career in student-athlete support as an Academic Support Assistant.
Â
