NORFOLK, Va., Dec. 5, 2022 – Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Commissioner Sonja Stills announces one promotion and the introduction of two new staff members as the conference office realigns its staff as the 2022-23 academic year continues to unfold.
 
Yakina Parker has been promoted to Director of Business Operations. In addition, Dominique Garcia has been hired to serve as Assistant Commissioner for Engagement and Special Events, while Ohin Gaston joins the conference office to serve as Special Assistant to the Commissioner.
 
"I'm excited to announce our new staff members in Dominique and Ohin, and to promote Yakina," Stills said. "These promotions and additions will serve the MEAC office and our member institutions in helping us tell our stories and further our growth – both as a conference and the institutions as individual enitities."
 
Garcia comes to the MEAC from the University of Cincinnati, where she worked in the school's Admissions office in a variety of capacities, including recruitment, outreach, access and diversity. She also has two stints as an admissions counselor and event coordinator at Norfolk State – where she earned both Bachelor's (2014, Mass Communications/Broadcast) and Master's degrees (2022, Public Relations).
 
As Assistant Commissioner for Engagement and Special Events, Garcia will initiate and facilitate activities to promote and implement the MEAC's student, university and community engagement goals – with programs and services that are inclusive and support a diverse community. She will be a liaison for institutions' alumni offices, career services, student affairs and MEAC Nation, among others.
 
Gaston joins the MEAC after serving as Coordinator of Teen Programing at Takoma Park Recreation and Director of their Youth Sumer League basketball program. At the University of Maryland, Gaston was a team manager for three years, including men's basketball team that won the 2004 ACC title.

Gaston has also worked in professional athletics with the Washington Mystics organization under Game Operations and Corporate Partnerships.
 
As Special Assistant to the Commissioner, Gaston will provide direct support to the Commissioner – including, but not limited to, day-to-day oversight of the office and research.
 
Parker joined the conference office in January 2022, serving as Executive Assistant to the Commissioner. She attended Hampton University, where she also spent more than a decade in the athletics department – including Athletic Business and Ticket Manager.
 
 
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 52^nd year of intercollegiate competition with the 2022-23 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of eight outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.