University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Looking to the Future with Rebecca Nelms, Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Success
03.28.2023 | General
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Rebecca Nelms is in her 19th year with UNC Asheville Athletics. As the Assistant Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Success, her primary focus is in areas that affect Student-Athlete welfare. She supervises service areas within the Athletics Department that directly impact the students, such as Academic Enhancement, Lifeskills, Sports Medicine, Nutrition and Strength & Conditioning. Rebecca is a native of Asheville who earned her B.A. degree from UNC Chapel Hill, a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University and a Master's degree in Education from Western Carolina. She has a history of connections to the university including her first summer job (a lifeguard), an alumna daughter (Elizabeth, soccer player and Biology Major Class of 2013) and her mother (retired Accounting Professor Linda Nelms, also a UNC Asheville alumna (Literature Class of 1969).
What is a piece of advice that you would give your past self in terms of navigating athletics as a female? I think it is critical that systems are in place to allow for the female voice to be heard in athletics. It is then up to individuals to be sure they are speaking and sharing their perspectives, concerns, and visions.
What area of women's athletics do you see most impacted by Title IX? The whole existence of women's athletics feels inexorably tied to Title IX. Even today the general public is predominantly fixated on Men's sports. Baseball, basketball, football, and soccer are nationally televised games and have professional opportunities. Without the requirement of offering opportunities for women to compete it would be extremely difficult to be 'seen' enough to garner support. Team members learn many valuable skills through athletic competition beyond the obvious "teamwork" like perseverance, work ethic, leadership, and responsibilities. It would be devastating to deny half the population access to those opportunities.
What do you hope to see in the future for women in sports administration roles? I think a marvelous marker is when any role is filled by the most competent candidate and gender plays no part. Adell Harris was an assistant women's basketball coach for UNC Asheville. After a few other stops, she is currently the Chief of Staff for Men's basketball at Vanderbilt. It shouldn't be noteworthy that she has a leadership role in a Men's program...but it still is.
How do you see the future of UNC Asheville Athletics? What is something that looks promising? For UNC Asheville it feels like we are at an inflection point with our programs. We have excellent and dedicated coaches and recruit athletically talented, academically strong, good people into our teams. A lot of effort went into coming out of COVID stronger - and I think it is starting to show.
As we look to the future of college athletics, what is the biggest change you have seen that you hope to see sustainable growth in? It is particularly gratifying to me to see the growth in support for UNC Asheville athletics from the school and community. We are doing some wonderful things here, and have exemplary student-athletes and people are starting to notice.
Who is a female in athletics that you look up to? It is tempting to say 'my boss' because she is a great example. But when I was in elementary school there was a girl in middle school who was amazing. She was always kind to the younger kids, and fun to be around but she was a force on the basketball court - even in 7th grade. She would play and work hard but then could put it all away after the buzzer. She was by far the best player on the parochial school team but never demeaned or showed frustration with her weaker teammates. By watching her I was able to see a great example of how you can be a competitor and a nice person at a time when professional athletes were perfecting "trash talk".
Join us for Our Turn to Play Scholarship Dinner April 25 at 6:00 p.m. in the Wilma M. Sherrill Center to celebrate our female student athletes and highlight some impactful women in the sports industry. Sponsorships and Ticket opportunities are available by contacting Anna Catherine Pritchard at apritch2@unca.edu or visiting the ticket link HERE.Â
