Merlene Aitken-Smith

Merlene Aitken-Smith currently serves as the Deputy Athletics Director at the University of Nevada, Reno, a position held since December 2022. Previously, Aitken-Smith worked at Grambling State University as the Associate Vice President/Chief Compliance Officer and Senior Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator from June 2020 to January 2023. Aitken-Smith's extensive experience also includes roles at Clayton State University as Senior Associate Athletic Director/SWA/Deputy Title IX Officer, and various compliance positions at the Internal Revenue Service, Georgia Institute of Technology, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Winston-Salem State University, The University of Kansas, University of Washington, and Michigan State University. Aitken-Smith holds a Doctor of Law degree in Higher Education Administration from the Massachusetts School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government from Brooklyn College.