This fall, Georgian Court University’s annual Blue & Gold Invited Talk will feature Dr. Allison Smith, an assistant professor of sport administration and leading scholar on gender equity and leadership in athletics. On Tuesday, October 28, at 3:00 p.m. in the Casino Auditorium, Dr. Smith will present her keynote, “Women on the Rise: The Growth and Continued Momentum of Women’s Sports.”
The talk is free and open to the public, inviting students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the broader community to explore how women’s sports have evolved, and where they are headed next. Click here to register for the event.
Dr. Smith’s research centers on the organizational behavior of collegiate sport, focusing particularly on the underrepresentation of women and marginalized individuals in leadership roles and the holistic development of student-athletes as they transition out of competition. Her work examines the systems, structures, and cultural shifts driving greater inclusion and visibility for women in sports—a conversation that continues to gain momentum at every level of athletics.
A former collegiate softball player at Wingate University, Dr. Smith brings both scholarly expertise and lived experience to her research and teaching. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communication with an emphasis in journalism and master’s degree in sport administration from Wingate University, followed by a master’s in sport psychology and motor behavior and a Ph.D. in kinesiology and sport studies with an emphasis in sport management from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Dr. Smith is an active member of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM), North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS), and the Collegiate Sport Research Institute (CSRI). She also serves on several editorial boards, including the Journal of Amateur Sport (JAS), Case Studies in Sport Management (CSSM), and Journal of Athlete Development & Experience (JADE), and is the associate editor of the Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics (JIIA). Her scholarship has been recognized with honors such as the CSRI Research Fellowship (2022) and the Helen B. Watson Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award (2018).
Dr. Smith’s keynote continues Georgian Court’s Blue & Gold Invited Talk series, which brings thought leaders from across disciplines to campus to engage the community in timely and transformative discussions. Last year’s fellow was Kenneth Bourne, a licensed social worker and nationally recognized advocate for Black male mental health.
This year’s sessions promise to inspire conversation about gender equity, leadership, and the future of sport—topics that deeply resonate with the Georgian Court community. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear Dr. Allison Smith’s powerful insights on October 28. Click here to learn more or register.
