Tangela Cheatham

Biography

Tangela Cheatham was appointed as Central Michigan Athletics' deputy athletic director for administration and senior woman administrator in July 2022. Cheatham serves as a member of the department's executive leadership team and oversees all facets of CMU's comprehensive student-athlete and institutional support services, including admissions, compliance, financial aid, academic programs, student-athlete development, oversight of internal operations and administrative functions. She also serves as the sport administrator for women's basketball, men's golf, and softball. As senior woman administrator, a designation created by the NCAA in 1981, Cheatham is responsible for promoting representation of women in departmental leadership and management. Before Cheatham came to CMU, she served as the associate athletics director of administration at the United States Military Academy West Point and held administrative roles at West Virginia, overseeing student-athlete enhancement and inclusive excellence. She also served as a career specialist and academic coordinator in the athletics department at Iowa. A Detroit native, Cheatham earned a bachelor of business administration and bachelor of arts with a major in sport management from Michigan and a master's of education in higher education from Oklahoma. She completed an internship with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

Career Path