MEAC Commissioner Sonja Stills Wins Nike Executive of the Year
MEAC Commissioner Sonja O. Stills earns Nike Executive of the Year from Women Leaders in Sports — a landmark win for HBCUs and women in athletic leadership.
In brief
Commissioner Sonja O. Stills, who leads the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) — the nation's premier HBCU athletic conference — has been named Nike Executive of the Year by Women Leaders in Sports. The award recognizes Stills' transformative leadership across HBCU athletics, conference strategy, and advocacy for women in sports administration at the highest levels of collegiate competition.
⚡ KEY TAKEAWAYS
Commissioner Sonja O. Stills of the MEAC earned the Nike Executive of the Year award from Women Leaders in Sports.
The honor places Stills among the most recognized women executives in collegiate athletic administration nationally.
The MEAC, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, oversees athletics for 13 historically Black colleges and universities.
The recognition arrives as HBCU athletics navigates the seismic shifts of NIL policy, conference realignment, and expanded media deals.
Stills' rise signals a broader national reckoning with the underrepresentation of Black women at the top of sports governance.
Who Is Sonja O. Stills — and Why This Award Hits Different
Sonja O. Stills did not inherit a comfortable institution. When she stepped into the commissioner's role at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, she inherited a conference navigating existential questions: How do HBCUs compete for recruits in an NIL era? How does a historically underfunded conference build media infrastructure to rival Power Four programs? Stills has answered those questions with a mix of strategic partnerships, institutional advocacy, and a brand of executive leadership that is now being recognized on the national stage.
Women Leaders in Sports, formerly known as the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics' women's division, presents the Nike Executive of the Year award to recognize women who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovation, and impact within athletic organizations. Earning that distinction as a Black woman leading an HBCU conference is not a footnote — it is the headline.
Stills joins a lineage of HBCU executives who have forced the broader sports world to pay attention. For followers of DC's power players and the institutions that shape policy culture in this region, her recognition matters far beyond Norfolk's Scope Arena corridors.
The MEAC's 13-School Footprint and What's at Stake
The MEAC oversees athletics for 13 HBCUs spread across the Eastern seaboard — from Morgan State University in Baltimore to Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. The conference's flagship event, the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, draws national broadcast attention and serves as a cultural touchstone for HBCU communities from Howard University's campus in Shaw to campuses deep in the Carolinas.
Under Stills' watch, the conference has had to move fast. The NCAA's NIL framework, formalized in 2021 and expanded aggressively since, created both opportunity and pressure for HBCU programs that have historically operated on shoestring budgets compared to their Power Four counterparts. Stills has worked to ensure MEAC schools are not left behind as boosters and collectives reshape the college sports economy.
The stakes in Washington are direct: Howard University, the District's flagship HBCU and a MEAC member, competes under the conference's governance. Every policy decision Stills makes ripples into the Burr Gymnasium and onto the Howard campus on Georgia Avenue NW. For WDCM's coverage of Howard and HBCU culture in DC, Stills' leadership is not a distant conference story — it's a hometown one.
Women Leaders in Sports: The Award's Weight in Athletic Administration
Founded decades ago, Women Leaders in Sports has grown into one of the most credible credentialing bodies for women in athletic administration. Its annual conference, held each winter, draws athletic directors, deputy commissioners, and senior administrators from across Division I, II, and III programs. The Nike Executive of the Year designation — sponsored by one of the most powerful brands in global sports — signals that Stills' work has penetrated the consciousness of that entire ecosystem.
According to NCAA demographic data, Black women remain significantly underrepresented in athletic director and conference commissioner roles across all divisions. Stills' award does not fix that structural gap, but it puts a face, a name, and a track record on what corrective leadership looks like at the conference commissioner level.
Her recognition also arrives in a climate where HBCU athletics is experiencing a cultural renaissance. Deion Sanders' tenure at Jackson State — and his subsequent move to Colorado — brought HBCU football into mainstream sports media conversations in 2022 and 2023. The MEAC and its peers have been determined to convert that cultural moment into sustained institutional investment. Stills has been central to that conversion strategy.
Why This Matters in Washington
Washington DC does not just watch sports — it governs them. The NCAA's federal lobbying operation, ongoing Congressional debates over a college athlete employment framework, and the political power of HBCU advocates on Capitol Hill all converge in this city. Commissioner Stills operates at the intersection of all three.
Howard University's presence in the MEAC means DC has a direct institutional stake in how the conference positions itself for the next decade of college athletics. The Shaw neighborhood campus feeds students into Howard's athletic programs; those programs feed into broader discussions about HBCU funding, Title IX compliance, and the future of college sports labor — discussions that happen in Senate hearing rooms just miles away.
For the women who navigate DC's corridors of power — from K Street lobbying firms to the Wilson Building — Stills' Nike Executive of the Year recognition is a data point in an argument Black women have been making for years: that excellence at the highest levels of institutional leadership is not an exception, it is a pattern that deserves structures built around it. Track DC's political influence rankings and you will find that sports governance and political power overlap more than casual observers admit.
What Comes Next for Stills and the MEAC
The Nike Executive of the Year award is validation, not a finish line. The MEAC faces continued pressure on multiple fronts: the potential expansion of the College Football Playoff format, the ongoing evolution of conference media rights deals, and the push to secure greater philanthropic and corporate investment in HBCU athletic infrastructure.
Stills has positioned the MEAC as an institution that punches above its budget — and now she has a national award to amplify that positioning in boardrooms and broadcast negotiation rooms where HBCUs have historically been an afterthought. Watch for the MEAC to leverage this moment in its next round of sponsorship and broadcast conversations.
For those tracking DC's power index and the women reshaping institutional leadership in and around the capital, Commissioner Sonja O. Stills just moved the needle — publicly, nationally, and undeniably.
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FAQ: Commissioner Sonja O. Stills and the Nike Executive of the Year Award
Q: Who is Sonja O. Stills? A: Sonja O. Stills is the Commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), the HBCU athletic conference that oversees 13 historically Black colleges and universities along the Eastern seaboard, including Howard University in Washington DC.
Q: What is the Nike Executive of the Year award? A: The Nike Executive of the Year award is presented annually by Women Leaders in Sports — a national organization for women in athletic administration — to recognize a woman executive who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and impact in collegiate or professional sports.
Q: What is the MEAC and which DC school is a member? A: The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is an NCAA Division I conference composed of 13 historically Black colleges and universities. Howard University, located in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington DC, is a member institution.
Q: Why is this award significant for HBCU athletics? A: HBCU athletic conferences have historically been underfunded and underrepresented in national sports governance conversations. Stills' Nike Executive of the Year recognition elevates the MEAC's profile and signals that HBCU leadership is being recognized at the highest levels of the sports industry.
Q: How does this recognition affect Washington DC? A: Howard University's membership in the MEAC means DC has a direct institutional stake in the conference's direction. Additionally, DC serves as a hub for federal sports policy debates, making conference commissioner-level leadership directly relevant to the city's political and cultural ecosystem.
Q: What challenges does the MEAC face under Commissioner Stills? A: The MEAC is navigating NIL policy implementation, competition for recruits and resources against Power Four programs, media rights negotiations, and the broader restructuring of college athletics — all while advocating for sustained investment in HBCU athletic infrastructure.
The bottom line: Commissioner Sonja O. Stills earning the Nike Executive of the Year from Women Leaders in Sports is the kind of recognition that changes the room she walks into. Leading a 13-school HBCU conference through the most disruptive era in college athletics history — and doing it well enough to earn a national award sponsored by Nike — is a résumé line that belongs in every conversation about who runs sports in America. In Washington, where Howard University sits at the corner of Georgia Avenue and institutional pride, this is not a sports story. It is a power story.
What to Watch Next: Track whether Stills' national recognition translates into expanded corporate sponsorship or broadcast deals for the MEAC heading into the 2026-27 athletic year. Also watch Congressional movement on a college athlete employment bill — HBCU conference commissioners like Stills will be at the table when that legislation takes shape on Capitol Hill.
Reporting drawn from: meacsports.com. Washington DC Magazine provides original analysis, DC-specific context, and editorial perspective beyond the source material.This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by WDCM editorial staff. Washington DC Magazine is committed to accuracy, transparency, and editorial integrity. If you believe any information in this article requires correction, please contact editor@washingtondcmagazine.com.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
