Olivia Winkfield begins her third year as the Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance and Student Welfare in 2024-25.
Winkfield is responsible for managing and executing the department’s daily compliance functions, including maintaining accurate student-athlete data, preparing NCAA, conference, and university reports, and monitoring the academic success of RIT’s 650 student-athletes. She also oversees all student-athlete development programming for the department, providing resources and support to enhance the personal and professional growth of RIT’s student-athletes.
Additionally, Winkfield is a co-advisor for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the advisor for Chi Alpha Sigma, the national collegiate student-athlete honor society.
Winkfield is serving a four-year term on the NCAA Division III Men's Tennis Committee (2023-2027). In 2024, she was selected as an N4A Opportunities Scholarship Grant recipient and a Woman of Color Scholarship recipient for Women Leaders in Sports. In 2023, she was honored as a Founders' Professional Development Grant recipient by the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA). Winkfield served two years on the MOAA Legislation and Governance Committee and is currently serving a term on the Education and Professional Development Committee.
During the summer of 2024, Winkfield was selected and participated in year one of the NCAA Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute. She also has completed the NCAA Effective Facilitation Workshop, NCAA DIII Inclusive Leaders Program, and NCAA DIII Administrative Advancement Institute.
Before joining RIT, Winkfield served as a Ticket Office Customer Service Coordinator for the Buffalo Bills from 2017 to 2022. Her professional experience includes a year as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Development Graduate Intern at the University at Buffalo, mentoring a team of 40 student-athletes representing the voice of the department’s 16 NCAA Division I teams on matters related to rules, regulations, policy, and community service.
Winkfield’s resume also includes a marketing and communications internship at Texas Tech University, where she designed marketing collateral and helped plan a virtual higher education conference. She also worked as a Community Events Coordinator for F2 Developing and Mentoring Group, planning public outreach efforts for professional athletes in the Buffalo area. She also interned with the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, assisting with video and social media content generation and championship event administration, as well as roles with International Management Group (IMG) and as a football recruiting intern at the University at Buffalo.
Winkfield earned a Master of Science degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from Canisius College in 2022 and held multiple roles on campus during her graduate studies, including career development graduate assistant, academic mentor in the Griff Center for Student Success, and resident assistant in the Department of Student Life.
Winkfield completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Management and Journalism/Sports Communications at Canisius College in 2020.
Winkfield currently resides in Henrietta.
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