ITHACA, N.Y. – Erienne Roberts, the Deputy Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator at Ithaca College, has announced that she has been hired as the next Deputy AD for Internal Operations at the University of Chicago. Roberts' last day at Ithaca will be May 24 as she prepares for her first date at Chicago on June 1.

"I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Susan Bassett for her leadership and giving me the opportunity to be a Bomber these past five years," said Roberts. "The successes I've realized at Ithaca College are a result of working with individuals who are passionate and care deeply about what they do and how they do it. We've centered the student-athlete experience and wellness with each decision, and I am so blessed to have worked with such good people. I will cherish the time we had together. It has made me a better athletics practitioner and a better person."

Roberts joined the Ithaca College Department of Athletics in July 2018 as an Associate Director of Athletics. She was then promoted to Deputy Director at the beginning of the 2022-23 academic year. During her time at Ithaca, Roberts has been responsible for sport administration oversight, compliance and Title IX, co-advisor of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council and championship/tournament director for multiple postseason events - most notably, the championship director for the 2022 NCGA Championships held inside Ben Light Gymnasium last March.

"Erienne Roberts has had significant and long-lasting impact on the Ithaca College Department of Athletics and our entire campus community during her five-year tenure as a member of our athletics leadership team," said Associate Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Susan Bassett '79. "She has led our NCAA Compliance enterprise with professionalism, consistency and discipline establishing a culture of compliance that will serve us well into the future. She has enhanced our Student-Athlete Advisory Council, worked tirelessly with coaches and been part of every important initiative or event related to Ithaca College Athletics these past five years. Beyond that, Erienne has been a thought partner for me and important leader for our student-athletes and coaches." 

Prior to her arrival to Ithaca, Roberts spent six years at Slippery Rock University in a similar capacity within its athletic department. She also worked at Miles College in Birmingham, Ala. for two years.

Roberts, a native of Dayton, Ohio, attended Duquesne University where she received her bachelor's degree and Juris Doctorate Degree. While in law school, Roberts served as a Student Bar Association Senator and officer in the Black Law Students Association. Prior to completing Law School, she interned for the Honorable Judge Walter H. Rice Federal Judge, Southern District of Ohio and in the U. S. House of Representatives for the Honorable Michael R. Turner. After passing the bar exam, Erienne blazed the campaign trail as a field organizer for Congressman Joe Sestak.

"We will surely miss her guidance, excellent work, collegial nature, and friendship. We wish her all the best in this next phase of her career and beyond. Once a Bomber, always a Bomber," Bassett stated.

"To the student-athletes at Ithaca College, there are no words for how you have touched and impacted my life. My days were whole because you were a part of them," Roberts concluded.