| 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
