Barnes building a conference, future leaders

Tuscaloosa, Ala. – The 2020 pandemic first brought Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes to our attention. She hosted her “So You Want A Career in Athletics” workshop on Zoom . I don’t recall how, but I became the only media member who attended it as a silent observer.

Barnes then was interim commissioner of the then Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, the NAIA’s only all-Black conference, named in 2019 while also serving as Dillard University athletic director, then named its permanent commissioner in 2022.

After our first Zoom encounter, we spoke to Dr. Barnes on several occasions, but it wasn’t until last year at the HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) basketball tournament here in Tuscaloosa that we finally met in person.

During this year’s tournament two weeks ago, Madame Commissioner and I again sat down for an extended in-person interview.

“I want to thank you for coming down and covering us, always keeping us in the forefront for your readers,” said Barnes. “I think that the challenge of building a league… When I talk to people about the conference, we are a start-up. As I’m talking to partners … we’re looking for people who want to help us grow and build, that want to invest and help build something.”

As the first Black female commissioner in the NAIA and the league, Barnes has successfully steered it when three schools left in 2019 and 2021, through expansion to its present 13-member set whose footprint stretches as far north as Ohio, as far west as Texas, across the Deep South and into a U.S. territory, the University of the Virgin Islands.

Its current HBCUAC name was adopted in 2024 to fully reflect its heritage. The largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, a multi-million dollar deal with Urban Edge Network, also was forged all under her watch.

“I think in the last year they have signed seven or eight additional NAIA conferences just on the strength of the work they did with us first,” Barnes pointed out.

Her energy and overall enthusiastic nature are most impressive. There are nearly 50 women college commissioners in all three NCAA divisions, but Barnes is among a very short list of Black female conference leaders along with Sonja Stills (MEAC), Jacqie McWilliams (CIAA) and Sherika A. Montgomery (Big South).

“It’s been real cool to be a trailblazer,” said Madame Commissioner. “I believe that I have proven that I can build and win with very little, minimal resources. That’s not being cocky… I am just great at people building, building collaboration. I am great at carrying a vision. I can get people to believe and buy in.”

“I have a great team. I didn’t do it by myself,” reiterated Barnes.

This was the third and final year Stillman College and the City of Tuscaloosa hosted the HBCUAC basketball tournament. The annual post-season tourney now will move to Dallas, beginning in 2027 through 2029.

“We looked at Memphis and Dallas, and Dallas wound up winning that bid,” explained Barnes of the Dallas Sports Commission, a division of Visit Dallas that will host the event along with member school Paul Quinn College.

“Moving to Dallas gives us the opportunity to cultivate not only the student body, but also the alumni of these institutions. We are excited about the opportunity of being there,” added Barnes.

Finally, the commissioner and author remains passionate and committed to helping create a new wave of Black female college leaders through her mentoring program among other efforts.

“I think we will see the impact of this work in 15-20 years down the line,” surmised Barnes. “But I do feel that I got a nice little group of young women that we can continue to grow and develop their skill set and be ready. I can help them get into the game and compete for one of those opportunities.

“I feel I definitely am making a difference in what I am doing to help prepare them,” she concluded.

Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.