MM 8.28: Maryland Athletics names senior associate athletic director for diversity

Maryland athletics announced Thursday that Cynthia Edmunds, who has been at the school for 12 years, has been named Maryland’s first senior associate athletic director for diversity and inclusion/organizational effectiveness.

The university, which became the first FBS school in the country with an African-American president, athletic director and head football coach on July 1, also announced earlier this summer that it will be participating in the Big Ten Anti-Hate and Anti-Racism Coalition.

Edmunds has over 25 years of higher education experience and beginning on Sept. 21, 2020, she will lead the school’s “commitment to amplifying efforts in regard to social justice and emphasizing diversity and inclusion,” per a press release.

Prior to her appointment, Edmunds filled numerous roles at Maryland, including assistant to the president, university equity administrator, staff ombuds officer and director of the Thriving Workplace Initiative.

“I appreciate Maryland Athletics’ commitment to this work, and I look forward to working with so many terrific staff, coaches, and student-athletes,” Edmunds said. “I am both thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to serve and affect change in the business of athletics and sport culture.”

Editors Note: The Testudo Times editorial board unanimously decided not to publish a Maryland Minute Thursday in respect to the continued incidents of police brutality and racial injustice in this country. This is a human rights issue, not a political one. Here is the statement from our editors, which was posted on Twitter.

Our editors decided not to publish the daily Maryland Minute today.

As bravely demonstrated last night, there are more important things to focus on than sports right now. We stand in solidarity with the athletes we cover in the fight against police brutality & social injustice.