CLEVELAND - Columbia Athletics' Cara Holdsclaw has been selected as the 2024 MOAA Charles Whitcomb Service Award recipient by the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) on May 14. Holdsclaw has served as the Lions' Senior Associate Athletics Director, External Affairs & Chief Diversity Officer since 2020.

The MOAA Charles Whitcomb Award recognizes and celebrates individuals who foster diversity and inclusion within the intercollegiate athletics community. The recipient of this award will be announced and recognized at the MOAA Symposium each year.

Holdsclaw is responsible for the strategic direction, oversight, coordination, leadership and active participation in the revenue generation and external functions. Additionally, she serves as the chair of the We Roar Together Committee for diversity, racial justice, equity and inclusion, is a member of the diversity and inclusion Ivy League committee and the Task Force on Inclusion and Belonging, and the Athletics Diversity and Inclusion Designee (ADID) for the NCAA.
 
In addition to her professional work, Holdsclaw has been involved in a variety of volunteer activities including serving as a board member for the Catch the Stars Foundation, NBA Basketball Without Borders, National Foundation of Cancer Research (sports fundraising), Habitat for Humanity, and the Food Pantry poverty alleviation. She is a member of the Black Sports Professionals, Sports Industry Network, and is the founder of Black Women in Sport. Holdsclaw was selected for the inaugural Women of Color Initiative with the Women Leaders in Sport in 2021. Most recently, Holdsclaw was selected to the Senior Administrators mentoring institute at the 2024 NACDA Convention.

Holdsclaw will be recognized at the 2024 MOAA Symposium on Sunday, June 9 at the Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas NV.  

About the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association: Administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association promotes equitable employment opportunities for minorities in the athletics industry through the exchange of ideas, the creation of networking opportunities and the avocation of an increase in employment for minorities in athletics administration positions at all levels of the sports industry. The association also promotes cultivating a sports environment that supports the values necessary to accept aspiring professionals from all walks of life. For more information on the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association, please visit www.moaaweb.com.