Tara Davenport was named senior associate athletic director for compliance on March 18, 2024. She came to Chicago State after two years of serving as a senior associate athletic director for student-athlete services/senior women’s administrator at Bethune-Cookman University. 
 
Davenport, who graduated from Bowie State University and earned her Master’s from Virginia Commonwealth, was previously at Savannah State University where she served as associate athletic director/SWA. While there, she received her Title IX investigator training and was selected for the NCAA Division II Committee on Legislative Relief. She was selected to attend the NCAA Effective Facilitators Workshop, presented at the NAAC convention and graduated from the Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute in Dallas, Texas.
 
She began her professional career at Bowie State University in 2012, then served at Saint Augustine as assistant athletics director for compliance & internal operations.
 
At Barry University, she was involved in various organizations on campus, including group facilitator in the Student Leadership Retreat for two years, SAAC advisor and was selected to the NCAA RAC committee for Women's Golf, was selected for the NAAC Division II Reasonable Standards Committee and NAAC Professional Development Committee. She presented for the NAAC Convention and was accepted into the Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute.
 
A native of Chesterfield, Va., she is the daughter of the late Reverend Dr. Melvin L. Rose and Vicky Rose and Ralph Davenport and has one fur baby, a corgi named Houston.