Berry College’ Athletic Director and Chief Diversity and Belonging Officer have been recognized by Atlanta’s Diamond Awards for their exemplary leadership.
Atlanta’s Diamond Awards honors excellence in the entertainment, corporate and creative industries for professional accomplishments and societal contributions. The award show is hosted by the Not Alone Foundation, a nonprofit that supports those with kidney disease. Past recipients of the award include actor Corbin Blue and Keith Parker, Goodwill North Georgia president and CEO.
Angel Mason, Berry’s director of athletics, received the Diamond Award for Excellence in Education, Leadership, Philanthropy, Humanitarianism and Community Engagement.
Mason is the president of the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators and the Executive Committee Board member for the Minority Opportunity Athletic Association. She was previously recognized as the Nike Executive Director of the Year for NCAA D-III colleges.
Mason has a B.A. degree in communication studies and a minor in English from Butler University, where she played basketball for the Division I Bulldogs. She earned her M.S. degree in sports management from PennWest California and an Ed.D. degree in administration from Northcentral University, where her research focused on the underrepresentation of African American women in NCAA Division III athletics.
Berry’s Chief Diversity and Belonging Officer, Haley Smith, was also honored with the Diamond Award for Excellence in Education, Leadership, Philanthropy, Humanitarianism and Community Engagement.
In her role at Berry, Smith helped form the college’s partnership with The King Center and was a panelist for the King Center's Beloved Community Global Summit. Smith earned a B.S. degree in communication and media studies at Shorter University and an M.A. degree in transformation leadership from Eastern Mennonite University.
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Written by Public Relations Student Assistant Caroline Cleland
Office of Public Relations
