Biography
Delise S. O’Meally, MBA, JD was named Executive Director of the Institute for Sport & Social Justice, formerly the National Consortium for Academics and Sports, in August 2014. The Institute, founded by Dr. Richard Lapchick in 1985, uses the power of sport to effect positive societal change. ISSJ educates and empowers individuals and organizations through inspiring values-based thinking leading to actions that promote social responsibility and equality.
O’Meally, a former collegiate tennis player from Montego Bay, Jamaica, has been involved in athletics administration for more than 21 years with almost 17 years of service at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). While at the NCAA, O’Meally worked closely with the NCAA Executive Committee, oversaw the work of Association-wide committees and guided the implementation of several NCAA social justice policies, including policies on Native American Mascots, the Confederate flag, and transgender student-athlete participation. She also managed the Youth Education through Sports (YES) program, “an initiative designed to create opportunities for under-represented and under-served youth in low income communities.” In 2010, she created and implemented the international affairs program at the NCAA.
A prominent voice in international university sports, O’Meally serves as the Vice President of the United States International University Sports Federation (USIUSF), First Vice President of the Organización Deportiva Universitaria Panamericana (ODUPA) – the Pan American University Sports Federation, she sits on the International University Sport Federation (FISU) Executive Committee as well as the FISU Commission on the Global Development of University Sports, and is the Pan American regional representative on the FISU Gender Equality Commission. One of her most rewarding experiences was serving as Deputy Head of Delegation for TeamUSA during the 2013 World University Games in Kazan Russia, an event in which she competed for Jamaica in 1993.
O’Meally has been acknowledged with many honors including the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) Nell Jackson Administrator of the Year Award and the Nova Southeastern University’s Pioneer award. She was featured in NCAA Champion Magazine, and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. She also serves on the Board of the Ball State University Center for Peace and Conflict, and the Board of Overseers for Indiana University’s Tobias Center for Leadership Excellence.
A vocal advocate for opportunities for women and people of color, and a passionate believer in the unique power of sports to break down barriers and contribute to a peaceful and just society, O’Meally has earned an MBA and a Juris Doctorate and is admitted to the Indiana Bar. She and her twin daughters, Cameron and Casey, whom she has coached since they were 3, can be found most weekends on the tennis courts.
Follow Delise on Twitter: @domeally