John-Samuel Atkinson appointed to NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Committee

Gallaudet University Associate Athletic Director for Communications John-Samuel Atkinson has been selected to serve as a member of the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Committee, where he will help coordinate and oversee all aspects of the Division III Women’s Volleyball Championship. He began his responsibilities on September 1. 

The NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Committee will evaluate teams throughout the season prior to the selection of the tournament field. Members of the committee will serve as chairs on regional advisory committees and partake in numerous regional and national committee calls during the season. Atkinson will chair Region IV, which consists of schools from the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC), Middle Atlantic Freedom Conference (MAC Freedom), New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and United East conferences, and New York University, a member of the University Athletic Association (UAA). 

“It is an honor to volunteer and represent Gallaudet University and the United East Conference on the national stage as a member of a NCAA sport committee,” said Atkinson. “I am humbled to accept this appointment and work with nine excellent committee members throughout Division III women’s volleyball.”

Atkinson is in his 13th year at Gallaudet, where he manages the athletic communications office and public and media relations for Bison athletics.

Atkinson completed a four-year term (2016-2020) on the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Committee, where he became the first two-time chair in recent memory and the first chair of that committee to be a Sports Information Director.

Atkinson also is a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Board of Directors, and is currently the Past President of the 3,0000-plus member national organization comprised of the sports public relations, media relations and communications and information professionals throughout all levels of collegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. Atkinson served as CoSIDA’s President last year (2020-2021) as he became only the second CoSIDA President to hail from a NCAA Division III institution in the organization;s 66-year history.

Congratulations, Sam!