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Iron Dukes donors team up to endow Duke Director of Athletics position
2/10/2025 8:00:00 AM | Iron Dukes
Whether building a national championship team, orchestrating the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds in Cameron Indoor Stadium, or leading the capital campaign that rebuilt Wallace Wade Stadium, Duke Athletics has a long history of bringing together the right people in pursuit of a common goal.
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For longtime Iron Dukes members Karen King '94 and Gayla Compton, that unifying Duke force drew together two women who didn't previously know each other to make a combined multi-million dollar endowment gift that will fund Duke University's director of athletics position in perpetuity.
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The King-Compton Families Athletics Directorship Endowment will support Duke's principal athletics leadership position and ensure that the university is positioned to continue attracting, developing, and retaining the best leaders in college athletics.
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"We are incredibly grateful to Gayla and Karen for the vision, generosity, and initiative behind this gift to endow Duke's director of athletics position," said President Vincent E. Price. "Theirs is an inspiring act of philanthropy that will have significant long-term impact for Duke student-athletes and coaches, as well as for our fans on campus, in Durham, and beyond."
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The donors pointed to Vice President and Director of Athletics, Nina King, who has held the position since 2021, as the inspiration for their combined gift, acknowledging she has been a prime example of a leader who should occupy the position.
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"Nina is one of a kind," Compton said. "To watch her work and engage with coaches, students, everyone at all the events she's attending, truly anyone she interacts with - it's a joy. You can tell she cares deeply about what she does, and her leadership inspires others."
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"Knowing she is the first to benefit (from this endowment) was just the pinnacle of all these threads coming together," King added.
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As Duke University's seventh director of athletics, Nina King has blazed trails as one of only six female athletics directors currently at the Power 4 level and one of only 56 total at the Division I level (There are 362 DI institutions). Among those Power 4 institutions, she is one of only three Black female directors of athletics and is Duke university's first female to occupy that position.
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Prior to being named director of athletics, King facilitated the daily operation of the athletics department with oversight of human resources, recreation, physical education, and all legal matters. She led senior staff and sport administrators, assisted with oversight and planning for special projects, coordinated strategic planning initiatives, and was the primary contact between Duke Athletics and the university administration.
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"I am humbled and truly appreciative of Karen and Gayla's transformative gift to endow the director of athletics position at Duke," said Nina King. "The significance of their generosity both as game-changers to Duke Athletics and women lifting up other women undoubtedly leads the charge as we embark on a new era of collegiate athletics."
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While the initial idea was Karen's, she was unsure who to pull in to join her in the project. Nina suggested Gayla Compton as a potential partner. What drew the two Iron Dukes members together was the notion of endowing Duke athletics' top leadership position and the ripple effects it would have across Duke's campus and beyond. Compton and (Karen) King finally met at the Duke Athletics 2024 Scholarship and Endowment Celebration, which brings together student-athletes and donors in celebration of the impact each has on Duke Athletics, and King gave Compton her pitch. Or at least a small part of it.
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"Karen started by setting up what she had in mind," Compton said. "But two sentences in, I said: 'Look, if you're talking about maybe endowing the AD position, we would love to be involved.' Then that just opened the floodgates."
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"I am deeply honored to recognize Nina as she is such an incredibly gifted, capable and inspiring leader. As a woman of color, she has broken through barriers in her role that few others have," Karen King said. "She represents the heart and soul of Duke athletics, demonstrating true dedication, hard work and unwavering grace under pressure. To know her is to love her. I am proud that she will be the first Athletic Director to benefit from this endowment."
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Both longtime donors and champions of Duke Athletics and Duke University at large, the director of athletics endowment is their latest large-scale initiative. For more than a decade, Compton and King have progressed in their own personal philanthropic journeys with Duke —spearheading and supporting projects that have directly benefited Duke students and student-athletes, including scholarships, capital campaigns, and academic programs on Duke's campus.
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For Gayla Compton, a philanthropist and board member of the Forever Young Foundation founded by NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, that includes the funding of the Blue Devil Tower, athletics scholarships for basketball and football, and programs within Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. In addition, Compton, who alongside her husband, Kevin, has long been involved with sports at the youth and professional levels, has always been drawn to athletics as a platform to empower young people, she said.
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For Karen King, a managing director at Silver Lake and a member of Duke's Board of
Trustees, that includes scholarships for both student-athletes and students within the Duke School of Public Policy and philanthropic support for the Duke Technology Scholars Program (DTech) at Trinity College. Her philanthropy to causes beyond Duke have focused on providing support for human needs in underserved communities, as well as education and advancing women in leadership. It was a natural progression to give to efforts supporting Duke students in need and women in athletics, she said.
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Upon learning of the gift, Nina King said it best, "While I'm personally grateful for the work of these two strong women whom I also call friends, I'm also thrilled for the effect it will have on Duke Athletics and Duke University as a whole."
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The donors' combined gift is the university's largest ever supporting an athletics administrative position.
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Become an Iron Dukes Member to Support Duke Athletics
The mission of the Iron Dukes is to help provide the resources necessary to enrich the lives of Duke student-athletes as they strive to be champions in the classroom and at the highest level of athletic competition while preparing them to be champions in life by engaging the mind, elevating the spirit, and stimulating the best effort for all. Iron Dukes members help provide much-needed resources to fund student-athlete scholarships, improvements to facilities, and operation and maintenance budgets for Duke's 27 varsity sports.
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For more information, visit www.GoDuke.com/IronDukes.
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For longtime Iron Dukes members Karen King '94 and Gayla Compton, that unifying Duke force drew together two women who didn't previously know each other to make a combined multi-million dollar endowment gift that will fund Duke University's director of athletics position in perpetuity.
Â
The King-Compton Families Athletics Directorship Endowment will support Duke's principal athletics leadership position and ensure that the university is positioned to continue attracting, developing, and retaining the best leaders in college athletics.
Â
"We are incredibly grateful to Gayla and Karen for the vision, generosity, and initiative behind this gift to endow Duke's director of athletics position," said President Vincent E. Price. "Theirs is an inspiring act of philanthropy that will have significant long-term impact for Duke student-athletes and coaches, as well as for our fans on campus, in Durham, and beyond."
Â
The donors pointed to Vice President and Director of Athletics, Nina King, who has held the position since 2021, as the inspiration for their combined gift, acknowledging she has been a prime example of a leader who should occupy the position.
Â
"Nina is one of a kind," Compton said. "To watch her work and engage with coaches, students, everyone at all the events she's attending, truly anyone she interacts with - it's a joy. You can tell she cares deeply about what she does, and her leadership inspires others."
Â
"Knowing she is the first to benefit (from this endowment) was just the pinnacle of all these threads coming together," King added.
Â
As Duke University's seventh director of athletics, Nina King has blazed trails as one of only six female athletics directors currently at the Power 4 level and one of only 56 total at the Division I level (There are 362 DI institutions). Among those Power 4 institutions, she is one of only three Black female directors of athletics and is Duke university's first female to occupy that position.
Â
Prior to being named director of athletics, King facilitated the daily operation of the athletics department with oversight of human resources, recreation, physical education, and all legal matters. She led senior staff and sport administrators, assisted with oversight and planning for special projects, coordinated strategic planning initiatives, and was the primary contact between Duke Athletics and the university administration.
Â
"I am humbled and truly appreciative of Karen and Gayla's transformative gift to endow the director of athletics position at Duke," said Nina King. "The significance of their generosity both as game-changers to Duke Athletics and women lifting up other women undoubtedly leads the charge as we embark on a new era of collegiate athletics."
Â
While the initial idea was Karen's, she was unsure who to pull in to join her in the project. Nina suggested Gayla Compton as a potential partner. What drew the two Iron Dukes members together was the notion of endowing Duke athletics' top leadership position and the ripple effects it would have across Duke's campus and beyond. Compton and (Karen) King finally met at the Duke Athletics 2024 Scholarship and Endowment Celebration, which brings together student-athletes and donors in celebration of the impact each has on Duke Athletics, and King gave Compton her pitch. Or at least a small part of it.
Â
"Karen started by setting up what she had in mind," Compton said. "But two sentences in, I said: 'Look, if you're talking about maybe endowing the AD position, we would love to be involved.' Then that just opened the floodgates."
Â
"I am deeply honored to recognize Nina as she is such an incredibly gifted, capable and inspiring leader. As a woman of color, she has broken through barriers in her role that few others have," Karen King said. "She represents the heart and soul of Duke athletics, demonstrating true dedication, hard work and unwavering grace under pressure. To know her is to love her. I am proud that she will be the first Athletic Director to benefit from this endowment."
Â
Both longtime donors and champions of Duke Athletics and Duke University at large, the director of athletics endowment is their latest large-scale initiative. For more than a decade, Compton and King have progressed in their own personal philanthropic journeys with Duke —spearheading and supporting projects that have directly benefited Duke students and student-athletes, including scholarships, capital campaigns, and academic programs on Duke's campus.
Â
For Gayla Compton, a philanthropist and board member of the Forever Young Foundation founded by NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, that includes the funding of the Blue Devil Tower, athletics scholarships for basketball and football, and programs within Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. In addition, Compton, who alongside her husband, Kevin, has long been involved with sports at the youth and professional levels, has always been drawn to athletics as a platform to empower young people, she said.
Â
For Karen King, a managing director at Silver Lake and a member of Duke's Board of
Trustees, that includes scholarships for both student-athletes and students within the Duke School of Public Policy and philanthropic support for the Duke Technology Scholars Program (DTech) at Trinity College. Her philanthropy to causes beyond Duke have focused on providing support for human needs in underserved communities, as well as education and advancing women in leadership. It was a natural progression to give to efforts supporting Duke students in need and women in athletics, she said.
Â
Upon learning of the gift, Nina King said it best, "While I'm personally grateful for the work of these two strong women whom I also call friends, I'm also thrilled for the effect it will have on Duke Athletics and Duke University as a whole."
Â
The donors' combined gift is the university's largest ever supporting an athletics administrative position.
Â
Become an Iron Dukes Member to Support Duke Athletics
The mission of the Iron Dukes is to help provide the resources necessary to enrich the lives of Duke student-athletes as they strive to be champions in the classroom and at the highest level of athletic competition while preparing them to be champions in life by engaging the mind, elevating the spirit, and stimulating the best effort for all. Iron Dukes members help provide much-needed resources to fund student-athlete scholarships, improvements to facilities, and operation and maintenance budgets for Duke's 27 varsity sports.
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For more information, visit www.GoDuke.com/IronDukes.
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