Jackson-Reed’s new Athletic Director, Coach Nadira Ricks, has long participated in the school’s athletic program. Starting in 1987, she attended Jackson-Reed High School for three years, and she returned four years ago as Assistant Athletic Director to help coordinate and manage the athletic teams. 

As a student, Ricks played volleyball, basketball, softball, and ran track. When she graduated, she had many recruiting offers. A self-described “hometown girl,” she decided on Georgetown University where she received a full athletic scholarship. She set records for steals, one of which still holds today, and became the sixth female to ever be inducted into Georgetown University’s hall of fame in 2014. 

Ricks returned to Jackson-Reed and has been an integral part of the athletic department for the past four years. She’s excited to create new memories attached to our school’s new name. 

“One of my goals is to continue to form relationships with the Tenleytown business community,” she said. “Any financial support our local businesses can provide will help fund our club/developmental sports, which currently are solely donation and parent funded.” She explained how she’ll look for adjustments to make things easier and to set clear expectations. Her overall goal is to empower all head coaches to have full control over their programs. 

“While some change is necessary, I don’t want to throw in too much change, so it’s a gradual process. There will still be some growing pains and I may not please everyone, but I’m going to do everything in my power to help people out,” she said.

Ricks values community involvement because she knows these four years go by quickly. Her vision is to give all student-athletes the opportunity to try out for any team they want to and to know what it’s like to be a part of a team.