VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State Director of Athletics Troy Katen announced Monday the hiring of Courtney Smith as the Blazers' new Director of Athletic Compliance.  
 
"I am beyond excited to take on this role with VSU," Smith said.  "I would like to thank Troy Katen for his trust and support in providing me with this opportunity.  From the start of this journey, the Valdosta State community has been kind, supportive and welcoming. I knew after the first phone call I wanted to call this place home as a VSU Blazer. I am looking forward to building on top of an already strong foundation by collaborating with coaches, staff and student-athletes."
 
Smith comes to Titletown from Troy University (Troy, Ala.) where she was the Director of Compliance since November, 2023.  There, she assisted the Associate Director of Athletics/Compliance and Student-Athlete Success with enforcing, reviewing and investigating NCAA rules.  She coordinated the collection and dissemination of NCAA and Sun Belt Conference reports, while overseeing financial aid management of all sports.  She earned NACA (New Administrator Compliance Academy) Sun Belt Conference 2024-25 cohort, while she was named an ACE Mentee for the 2025-26 cohort.  
 
"We are thrilled to welcome Courtney as our new Director of Athletic Compliance at Valdosta State University," Katen said.  "Courtney brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role, and we are confident she will enhance our compliance education efforts for both our student-athletes and staff.  Her leadership will be instrumental in continuing to foster a culture of integrity and excellence within Blazer Athletics."
 
Prior to Troy, Smith was the Compliance Coordinator at Barton College in Wilson, N.C., from February 2023 to November 2023, where she served as the liaison between athletics and OCAP (Office of Academic and Career Planning, while assisting OCAP with advising of ineligible student-athletes.  She assisted with game operations as a game day manager for soccer, lacrosse, basketball and volleyball.  She helped over 726-plus student-athletes and 25-plus teams at Barton.  
 
Smith graduated from Barton College with a bachelor's degree in business administration and sports management and an MBA in strategic leadership in May of 2023.  As a student at Barton, she was a work-study assistant to the Deputy Director of Athletics/Chief of Compliance/SWA from January, 2020 to February, 2023.  As a student worker, she learned compliance software such as Front Rush and Cai, while learning to monitor and track through those programs and assisted in academic certifications.  She learned how to create transfer tracers and track transfer eligibility and gained valuable experience in creating and filing NLIs.  
 
She competed in women's soccer at Barton College and also had a work-study position as a game day operator working on the press table and overseeing parking lots on game days.
 
Smith began her duties at VSU on July 1, 2025.