Jamaal Walton has served as VMI’s Director of Athletics since May 2024. Walton joined VMI from the University of Washington, where he served as the Senior Associate AD for Strategic Initiatives.
As Director of Athletics, Walton reports directly to VMI’s Superintendent, serving on the Superintendent’s Cabinet and leading VMI’s NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic program, including the approximately 100 staff members who support 18 sports teams with more than 400 cadet-athletes.
In his first full year as VMI’s AD from 2024-2025, the annual Compete to Win campaign set records both in terms of donors and dollars. In the fall, women’s soccer finished with their most wins since 2018, and men’s soccer finished with their highest win percentage in 16 seasons. In the winter, basketball had its biggest turnaround in program history, women’s swimming and diving earned its first Division I victory since 2014 and men’s swimming and diving earned their most wins since 2020. In the spring, baseball had its first winning season since 2014, lacrosse had its most successful season in 37 years, water polo had the most wins since 2020, and rifle Coach Bill Bither was named SoCon Coach of the Year. Walton was appointed to the NCAA Division I FCS Football Oversight Committee. As a member of the Oversight Committee, Walton will have a significant role in determining the future of FCS football.
Walton has also focused on working to grow the VMI Athletics brand exposure and increase revenue for the Institute using the athletics platform. In September 2024, VMI Wrestling was selected as one of 12 schools to be featured on the ESPN Wrestling national tour. Also, VMI Athletics dedicated a POW/MIA Chair of Honor in Foster Stadium. In January 2025, VMI Athletics partnered with FanWord to produce the “Rah Virginia Mil” series. The series provides cadet-athletes the opportunity to tell their unique stories and further build their personal brands. In April 2025, VMI developed in partnership with the Peninsula Pilots the inaugural Peninsula Classic. The Peninsula Classic added a new source of revenue to support VMI Athletics. In August 2025, VMI Athletics launched the VMI NIL Store powered by Campus Ink which provides officially licensed merchandising opportunities for VMI cadet-athletes. VMI is the first military institution to join the NIL Store platform.
Walton has overseen several important coaching hires and key extensions during his tenure. In 2024, VMI announced the extension of head baseball coach Sam Roberts ’11 through 2028 season. In 2025, he ensured continuity within the basketball program after 2024-2025 season by signing head coach Andrew Wilson to a multi-year extension through 2029-30 season and within the swimming and diving program extended head coach Scott Thacker through 2029. In 2025, Walton announced the hiring of Jim Robbins to serve as the fifth women’s soccer head coach and Taylor Mendoza to serve as the eighth lacrosse head coach.
Walton began his athletics administration career at Savannah State, before stops at Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Alabama, where he was involved with each respective institution's athletic marketing initiatives. Walton then worked at the College of Charleston from 2017 to 2021, where he assumed the role of associate athletic director for external operations.
As a cadet, Walton earned the General George C. Marshall Citizen-Soldier Award, the Lemuel Mackennie Long Jarman Award and was a four-year letterwinner and captain of the VMI football team.
Walton and his wife, Marci, have two children: daughter, Zadie, and son, Krew.
"I would like to thank General Wins and the search committee for entrusting me with the responsibility of leading Keydet Athletics," Walton said. "This is a dream come true, and I'm humbled and thrilled to serve my alma mater as the next director of athletics. VMI changed my life, and my goal is to help serve and inspire future VMI graduates to be citizen-soldiers who embody the VMI spirit. The VMI family is special, and Marci and I cannot think of a better place to raise our family. Rah Virginia Mil!"
