Khalek Shepherd

Khalek Shepherd joined the University of Virginia Academic Affairs staff in March 2023. Shepherd serves as an Assistant Director of Academics working with scholar-athletes on the UVA Football team. Through conducting weekly meetings with student-athletes, he oversees academic progress, monitors eligibility and tracks progress toward degree. Additionally, Shepherd assists scholar-athletes with major exploration and declaration, course advisement and career planning.

Prior to UVa from 2020-2023, Shepherd served as a full-time Academic Coach at Baylor University working with the football program along with both men’s and women’s tennis programs. In 2019, Shepherd was in the role of an Assistant Academic Coordinator at the University of South Florida, providing academic support to the football program and freshmen scholar-athletes from all sports. Before working in college athletics, Shepherd was an educator in the public charter school system in Washington D.C. and Maryland for 3 years. At that time, he also worked with youth at recreation centers in Alexandria, VA where he helped run after-school programs, weekend teen nights and summer camps.

A native of Upper Marlboro, MD, Shepherd earned his Bachelor of Arts in African-American Studies and Master of Education in Intercollegiate Athletic Administration from the University of Virginia in 2014 and then 2015. Shepherd was a scholar-athlete at UVA on the Football team from 2010-14.