Began at Illinois:

Tessi Taylor was named the Director of Compliance in February 2017. Taylor previously served as the Grant-In-Aid Specialist in the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics since 2014. 

Education:

Taylor earned her bachelor's degree in business management with a concentration in human resource management in 2001 from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. She went on to earn her master's degree in Kinesiology and recreation with an emphasis in sport management from Illinois State in 2004.

Responsibilities:

In her current role, Taylor’s main responsibilities will be to develop and conduct a comprehensive rules education program for the men's and women's basketball programs.

Past Experience:

Before joining the Illini compliance staff, Taylor previously served for five years as Bradley University's first Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance where she was responsible for all aspects of the Braves’ compliance program.

Prior to her time at Bradley, Taylor served four years as Assistant Compliance Coordinator at Illinois State University. In her role with the Redbirds, Taylor facilitated admission and NCAA Eligibility Center status for prospective student-athletes; monitored all recruiting activities, student-athlete employment, playing and practice seasons and camps; assisted with NCAA rules interpretations, rules education and waiver processing; and served as the primary athletic department liaison to the Financial Aid office when certifying outside and institutional awards.

Taylor’s career in collegiate athletic administration began at Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu where she served as the Compliance Coordinator and Business Manager. Among her responsibilities at Hawaii Pacific, Taylor monitored all NCAA compliance forms, recruiting activities and playing and practice seasons.

While pursuing her master's degree, Taylor worked as a graduate assistant for the Redbirds softball program, assisting the coaching staff with daily operations, during the 2003-04 season and also worked as a graduate teaching assistant in the ISU School of Kinesiology and Recreation.

Personal:

Taylor was a varsity softball student-athlete at Millikin. Tessi and her son, Teagan, and reside in Urbana.

Updated February 2023