Dawn Ellerbe joined Vanderbilt University as the inaugural Assistant Vice Chancellor for Athletic Communications and Senior Associate Athletic Director in March 2023.
Previously at California State University Northridge (CSUN), Ellerbe served as Associate Athletics Director for Marketing, Branding and Fan Development. In that role, she was a part of the athletics senior leadership team and oversaw external operations for the 19 NCAA varsity programs at CSUN, including conference and NCAA postseason competition. During that time, she also managed external operations for a multi-year Under Armour partnership as CSUN was Under Armour’s first public institution partner on the west coast and its first Big West Conference non-football partner. Ellerbe managed the marketing and community relations efforts for the Matadome seating expansion, as well as the introduction of the Matador Fueling Station—the first of its kind in the Big West Conference. She established the Matadors United Initiative focused on the well-being of student-athletes, staff, and coaches to address the changing social climate, including issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Ellerbe was named CSUN Campus Partner of the Year in 2019.
Prior to CSUN, Ellerbe provided oversight for the athletics department’s successful transition from NAIA to NCAA at California State University East Bay (CSUEB). She founded the literacy initiative “Read with the Pioneers,” the success of which contributed to CSUEB’s Hayward Promise Neighborhoods Grant of $25 million and earned the Division II Award of Excellence from the NCAA for game day environment.
No stranger to the SEC, Ellerbe spent four years at South Carolina early in her career as Director of Marketing. During that time, a number of programs experienced overall growth in fan affinity, attendance and ticket sales. She created successful strategies for new community outreach campaigns contributing to the literacy, health and wellness, and philanthropic initiatives for the department. In 2022, she received the Southeastern Conference Trailblazer Award for contributions to the growth of women’s athletics in the SEC in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Title IX.
A New York native, Ellerbe earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from South Carolina and master’s degree in communications from Wyoming. A U.S. Olympian and a Pan American Games gold medalist in the hammer throw, Ellerbe placed seventh in the 2000 Olympic games and has won 16 national titles. She is a member of the University of South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame and is one of only three track and field athletes to have their jersey retired by South Carolina, where she won four NCAA titles, five SEC championships, and was a six-time All-American for the Gamecocks.
Ellerbe has completed the NCAA Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute and the NCAA Pathways Program. She is a member of Women Leaders in College sports and has served on the NCAA Women’s Basketball Advancement Committee. This spring, she will be inducted into both the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame and the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame for her contributions to athletics and the sport of track and field.