Ariel Reed serves as the Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Operations for Bethune-Cookman athletics, where she provides executive-level administrative support while assisting with the day-to-day operations of the department.
Reed joined Bethune-Cookman after serving as the Director of Women's Basketball Operations at Texas Southern University. In that role, she managed the daily operations of the women's basketball program, overseeing budgeting, travel coordination, scheduling, vendor relations, NCAA compliance, and organizational planning while serving as a liaison between athletics and campus departments.
Prior to Texas Southern, Reed spent more than four years as a Human Resources People Lead with Walmart, where she oversaw HR operations for more than 350 employees. She managed onboarding, employee relations, payroll, workforce planning, training, and compliance, earning recognition as the top-ranked HR leader in her regional market for training and development initiatives.
Reed also gained valuable collegiate athletics experience at Jackson State University, serving as Director of Basketball Operations Intern and Academic & Compliance Intern. During her time with the Tigers, she assisted with scheduling, budgeting, team travel, game operations, compliance documentation, and student-athlete academic support.
A native of Houston, Texas, Reed earned a Master of Science in Sports Management from Jackson State University in 2023 after receiving her Bachelor of Science in Health Education from Jackson State in 2021. She also holds an Associate of Science in Athletic Training from East Mississippi Community College.
