‘Elated to be here.’ Fort Valley State introduces new athletic director Renae Myles Payne

Fort Valley State University introduced new athletic director Renae Myles Payne to students, staff and spectators Thursday afternoon at a press conference.

After university president Paul Jones introduced her, Payne talked about her excitement for the new position and some of her plans for FVSU.

“I’m elated to be here and be a Wildcat, and I’m very happy to be with you all here in the valley,” Payne said. “My style compliments Fort Valley State University and the department of athletics specifically.”

Payne was officially named athletic director March 15, but the conference gave her the chance to meet student athletes from across different sports and list some of her goals for the athletic programs.

“This group is why we do what we do, we don’t have jobs if not for them. So my commitment to you is that I will be accessible and available,” she said to student athletes. “I want you to be educationally solid in life after school. So we want to make sure that your experience after school… that you get what you need.”

Payne said her biggest goal to start will be securing more donations and giving more scholarships to athletes. Other goals for the new director included an enhanced gameday experience for fans, more competitive teams and better economic management of the programs.

“Athletics is about three things. It is economics, it’s about education and it’s about entertainment,” Payne said. “We will be economically sound…we will be educationally solid… and we will provide a high level of entertainment. We will elevate our athletics to be equally as impressive as our academics here at Fort Valley.”

Payne also spoke about the importance of being a role model for other Black women in the field of athletics.

“I’m not the first Black female athletic director, that path was laid out before me, but I’m able to walk it… it’s difficult to do the job, but we can do the job,” she said. “My advice is to just do the thing that’s right, and work at it, even if no one is watching.”

Payne comes to FVSU from the University of Miami, where she was a senior associate athletic director. She also worked athletics jobs at UConn, the University of Pittsburgh and San Jose State, among other schools.

“We’re very happy to have Dr. Payne with us here,” Jones said at the press conference. “She has had progressive leadership experience at a wide variety of institutions…she’s also served on various national committees, and she brings that wealth of experience to this university.”

Student athletes greeted Payne after the conference and posed for pictures with the new athletic director.