Nicki Moore

Dr. Nicki Moore was named the Meakem Smith Director of Athletics and Physical Education at Cornell University on Nov. 30, 2022. She has provided visionary leadership in modernizing and restructuring the department in her first year while maintaining the success the Big Red has long been known for.

Moore became the 15th Director of Athletics in Cornell’s storied history and the first woman to hold the position. She joined the Big Red after serving as Vice President and Director of Athletics at Colgate from 2018-22. As a member of the President’s Cabinet at Colgate, Moore contributed to the department’s strategic, and operational decision-making while developing and executing the Third Century Athletics Plan.

The program’s varsity teams won 11 Patriot League titles and had success at the highest levels in football, men’s basketball, women’s ice hockey, volleyball, men’s soccer, and men’s rowing. With a background in sports psychology, student life, strategic planning, fundraising, alumni relations, counseling and teaching, Moore has had great success during stops at North Carolina, Oklahoma, UC Davis, UNLV and her alma mater, Missouri, where she was a four-time captain of the track and field team and a two-time NCAA qualifier.