Avery Mcilwaine joined Vanderbilt Athletics as assistant director of human resources operations in January 2025.

She came to the staff after serving as associate recruiter at Internal Data Resources, and she also has experience as an administrative intern for marketing and operations for the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame and as an administrative intern for the senior woman administrator at Coastal Carolina.

Mcilwaine is a 2024 graduate of Coastal Carolina, earning a degree in recreation and sport management while also minoring in Spanish. As a student-athlete with the Chanticleer lacrosse program, she was a two-time team captain and earned honors including ASUN Scholar Athlete of the Year and ASUN Midfielder of the Year on two occasions. Mcilwaine began her collegiate career at Furman, where she was named first-team All-Southern Conference after her freshman season.