Williams, Gaines Honored as ACC Unite Award Recipients

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – University of Virginia Director of Athletics Carla Williams and student-athlete Elijah Gaines (football) were honored by the Atlantic Coast Conference today (Oct. 16) as recipients of the 2024 ACC UNITE Award. 

The award was created to honor individuals affiliated with the league who promote and encourage racial equity and social justice through education, partnerships, engagement and advocacy. Those selected have helped create meaningful, lasting change by improving systems, organizational structures, policies, practices and attitudes or have been pioneers and/or helped pave the way for minorities either at the institution or in the community. 

The UNITE Award is an initiative of the ACC’s Committee for Racial and Social Justice (CORE – Champions of Racial Equity). Each school selects its two recipients based on the above criteria and can choose to celebrate their selections at campus events throughout the academic year. 

“We are incredibly honored to recognize the fourth annual UNITE Award recipients and are thrilled to celebrate these deserving individuals,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “These amazing representatives from our 18-member schools have made significant impacts throughout their careers and continue to be dedicated to making a positive impact in the crucial areas of racial and social justice, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Williams was named Virginia’s Director of Athletics in October of 2017, making her the first African-American woman athletics director at a Power Five conference institution. Under Williams’ leadership, UVA has won nine NCAA team championships, 19 ACC team titles, and posted consecutive top-5 finishes in the most recent Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, which annually measure the overall success of university athletic programs nationwide. 

Nearing its final stage of completion, Williams continues to oversee the development of UVA athletics’ Master Plan, which is highlighted by the completed 90,000-square foot Molly and Robert Hardie Football Operations Center, and the Harrison Family Olympic Sports Center, which is set to open in the summer of 2025. The Harrison Center will accommodate a substantial number of UVA Olympic sport programs and feature a performance training center, strength & conditioning facilities, tutoring and academic support spaces and hall of champions. 

In conjunction with Williams’ emphasis on the holistic development of UVA student-athletes, the Harrison Center will also serve as a permanent home the Center for Citizen Leaders and Sports Ethics. Williams was also instrumental in the creation of UVA’s groundbreaking Pathways program, which uses University, community and alumni resources to connect student-athletes with areas of interest to help jump-start their career goals, identify valuable skills and accelerate their leadership abilities. 

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to sports and athletics, Williams was named an SEC Trailblazer as part of the celebration of Title IX’s 50th anniversary. She was also honored with the 2022 Woman of the Year Award from Women in Sports and Events (WISE). In 2019, Williams received the Administrator of the Year award for FBS from Women Leaders in College Sports and was a finalist for the Sports Business Journal Division I Athletics Director of the Year in both 2021 and 2024. 

This fall, Williams began a three-year term on the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, making her the first African-American woman athletics director appointed to this prestigious committee. 

Gaines, a graduate student-athlete on UVA’s football team, has actively participated in numerous volunteer and service initiatives within the Charlottesville and UVA communities. He served as UVA’s president of Black-Student-Athletes Offering Service and Support (B.O.S.S.), a role in which he coordinated service, fun and educational events for student-athletes, and collaborated with various groups across Grounds and in Charlottesville. In 2023, Gaines attended the ACC Unity Tour in Washington, D.C., and the Black Student-Athlete Summit in 2022. 

An avid volunteer, Gaines has also participated in community-service efforts with the Ronald McDonald House, UVA Campus Cleanup, UVA Equity Center, Blue Ridge Food Bank, Colby’s Crew Rescue, Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry and Greer Elementary School. Last fall, Gaines joined Williams and Happy Perry, the mother of the late UVA football player D’Sean Perry, in a community conversation for local youth on the topics of mentorship, reaching one’s potential and finding community. He is also currently a member of Men of Honor, Color, and Ambition (MOCHA), a program designed to develop leaders within the local community through youth development initiatives. 

A three-time All-ACC Academic selection, Gaines earned his undergraduate degree at UVA one semester ahead of schedule in the fall of 2023 with a double major in media studies and African American and African studies. He is a currently enrolled in UVA’s Higher Education master’s program and is expected to earn his second degree from UVA in the spring of 2025.