Erienne Roberts enters her third year as the Deputy Athletic Director for Internal Operations and Senior Woman Administrator at the University of Chicago in the 2025-26 academic year.
Roberts’ primary responsibilities as Deputy Athletics Director include broad oversight of the department’s game operations, varsity scheduling, marketing and promotions, athletics communications, NCAA rules compliance, community engagement, Title IX, and student-athlete development programs. Roberts also serves as the liaison to the university’s campus career services, communications, marketing, and licensing departments.
Roberts arrives in Hyde Park after serving as the Deputy Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator at Ithaca College. She joined the Bombers as an Associate Athletics Director in July 2018 and was promoted to Deputy Athletics Director at the start of the 2022-23 academic year. As Deputy at Ithaca College Roberts oversaw NCAA Compliance, Strength and Conditioning, Clinical Athletic Training, and had sport supervision of varsity programs. Prior to Ithaca College, Roberts served as the Assistant Athletics Director and SWA at Slippery Rock University for six years and a two-year stint in Birmingham, Alabama at Miles College as the Associate Athletics Director and SWA.
A native of Dayton, Ohio, Roberts received her bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctorate Degree from Duquesne University. While in law school, Roberts served as a Student Bar Association Senator and officer in the Black Law Students Association. Prior to completing Law School, she interned for the Honorable Judge Walter H. Rice Federal Judge, Southern District of Ohio and in the U. S. House of Representatives for the Honorable Michael R. Turner. After passing the bar exam, Roebrts blazed the campaign trail as a field organizer for Congressman Joe Sestak.
A former swimmer, Roberts always wanted to combine her love of athletics, law, and politics into a career. After passing the Pennsylvania Bar Exam in October 2009, she quickly found herself in love with intercollegiate athletics. Roberts has also served as a facilitator for the 2015 NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum, is a graduate of The Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute (2017), the D2ADA Mentoring Program (2018), and the Athlete Development Professional Certification Program at The Wharton School (2018). Roberts became a trained facilitator for Huddle Up through the Institute for Sport and Social Justice (ISSJ) (2019) and is a graduate of the Women Leaders in College Sports/NCAA Executive Institute (2019). Roberts currently leads Gender Based Violence Prevention and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging facilitated discussions with the ISSJ. Additionally, Roberts also served as Chair of the Women Leaders in College Sport Women of Color Initiative and recently served as Co-Lead for the Women Leaders in College Sports Executive Level Circle.
Roberts is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated linking her charitable and volunteer work with her sorority chapter, Tau Lambda Omega, based in Dayton, Ohio. In addition to volunteer work, Roberts enjoys weight training, reading, traveling, and visiting her large family in her free time.
