The American Announces 2025 Leadership and Engagement Committee Awards

Memphis’ Dr. Ed Scott, Tulane’s Janae Dean and Carolyn Barber-Pierre honored 

IRVING, Texas – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the 2025 Leadership and Engagement Committee awards.

In 2023, the Leadership and Engagement Committee (formerly the Inclusion Excellence Committee) created awards to recognize the contributions of student-athletes, staff and other individuals related to the institution.

The Commissioner’s Annual Trailblazer Award will be given to an individual that has a history of leadership behavior, who have committed time, service and energy to embrace and uphold the tenets of unity in their everyday lives, and/or who have made innovative changes that positively affected athletics initiatives.

The Together We Stand Awards have been renamed after Marlon Dechausay, the senior associate athletic director for student-athlete welfare at Memphis, who tragically passed away in December 2024. In a 20-year career spanning seven institutions, including Memphis and Florida Atlantic, Dechausay was instrumental in helping student-athletes achieve success in the competitive arena, in the classroom and in the community. Dechausay’s work on The American’s then-Inclusion Excellence and Student-Athlete Advisory committees helped countless student-athletes enjoy a more meaningful and rewarding experience, and he was the inaugural staff recipient of The American’s Together We Stand Award for his contributions to unity and inclusion across the conference.

The Marlon Dechausay Unity Awards will be given to one current student-athlete as well as one current institutional staff member. Nominees should exemplify Marlon’s passion, integrity and dedication to leadership in collegiate athletics.  The award recognizes individuals who create meaningful opportunities, uplift those around them, and champion the growth and success of both student-athletes and staff.

The winner of this year’s Commissioner’s Trailblazer Award is Carolyn Barber-Pierre, the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Multicultural Affairs at Tulane. Barber-Pierre has dedicated 40 years to making Tulane a more welcoming and supporting place for all. She has supplied mentorship to generations of students and inspired the entire Tulane community with her efforts. Her career at Tulane began in 1984 as the Director of Special Services and in 1987 established the Office of Minority Affairs, now called the Office of Multicultural Affairs, laying the foundation for what would become the Carolyn Barber-Pierre Center for Intercultural Life. In July 2025, Barber-Pierre will transition to the Tulane University Office of the Provost as a Senior Advisor, where she will collaborate with key university offices, including Alumni Affairs, Advancement, and Career Services, ensuring her influence continues to shape Tulane’s inclusive and academically enriching environment.

The winner of the Marlon Dechausay Unity Award for a Staff Member is Dr. Ed Scott, the Senior Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Memphis. Scott’s ability to cultivate inclusive spaces within collegiate athletics has made a lasting impact on both student-athletes and professionals in the field, and his work at Memphis has set a precedent for leadership, advocacy and integrity that will continue to inspire future generations. Like his close friend and colleague Dechausay, Scott has been a fierce advocate and mentor at Memphis, guiding countless individuals toward success and inspiring transformative change within the industry.

The winner of the Marlon Dechausay Unity Award for a Student-Athlete is Janae Dean, a women’s track and field/cross country student-athlete at Tulane. Dean was the 2024 Stephen Martin Scholar recipient, an award given to student-athletes displaying the highest level of character and leadership skills while remaining academically and civic-minded and serves as the DEI Subcommittee Co-Chair for Tulane’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She is an active member of the Black Student Union and Black Queer Collective, interned with Covenant Houst and Split Second Fitness Foundation, while on the track was The American’s outdoor 800-meter champion in 2023, as well as an all-conference performer during the 2024 and 2025 indoor seasons.

Institutional Nominees for the Marlon Dechausay Unity Awards

Student-Athlete

Madison Colston – Women’s Bowling, UAB

Liyah Jones – Women’s Track and Field, Charlotte

Nyah Edwards – Women’s Track and Field, East Carolina

Maya Shanok – Women’s Tennis, Florida Atlantic

Vitus Hansgaard – Men’s Track and Field, North Texas

Madison Rice-Locket – Volleyball, Memphis

Terren Peterson – Women’s Track and Field, South Florida

Dalia Dubin – Women’s Rowing, Temple

Stephen Kittleman – Football, Tulsa

Staff Member

Jason Anderson – Associate Athletics Director for Development, UAB

Dr. Mark Verburg – Executive Director, Athletic Academic Center, Charlotte

Kirstin Burgess – Head Coach, Women’s Tennis, East Carolina

Kaitlyn Greer – Associate Athletic Trainer, Florida Atlantic

Bryan Kegans – Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, North Texas

Dr. Jodie Libadisos – Senior Associate Athletics Director/Administration, South Florida

Dr. Stephany Coakley – Senior Associate Athletic Director for Mental Health, Temple

Bracely Williams – Director, Clinical Behavioral Health, Tulane

Karen Gober – Assistant Athletic Director for Student Success, Tulsa

Gretchen Torline – Director of Athletic Academic Services, Wichita State

American Athletic Conference Leadership and Engagement Committee Award History

Commissioner’s Trailblazer Award

2025 – Carolyn Barber-Pierre, Tulane

2024 – Tina Sloan Green, Temple

2023 – Dr. Richard E. Lapchick, UCF

Marlon Dechausay Unity Award – Student-Athlete

2025 – Janae Dean – Tulane Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country

2024 – Michael Bourne III – South Florida, Men’s Track and Field

2023 – Charessa Crosse – Temple Women’s Lacrosse

Marlon Dechausay Unity Award – Staff Member

2025 – Dr. Ed Scott, Memphis

2024 – Dr. Kevin Sneed, South Florida

2023 – Marlon Dechausay, Memphis

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