Matisse Lee
Associate Commissioner for External Partnerships & Special Projects/SWA
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
About Matisse Lee
Matisse S. Lee, MBA, serves as the Associate Commissioner for External Partnerships & Special Projects/SWA for the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), where she plays a pivotal role in advancing the conference’s strategic initiatives, elevating brand visibility, and strengthening relationships across the collegiate athletics landscape. Lee leads the CIAA’s external partnership strategies, working closely with corporate sponsors, community organizations, member institutions, and national governing bodies to expand the conference’s footprint and create meaningful engagement opportunities. She oversees special projects that drive conference innovation, enhance championships experiences, and support the CIAA’s commitment to student-athlete success, and community impact.
Lee is a long-standing member of the Claflin University family and one of the CIAA’s member institutions. She is a 2025 Claflin University Hall of Fame inductee and a member of the inaugural cohort of Claflin University’s Top 40 Under 40. Before joining the CIAA office, Lee served more than twelve years within Claflin University Athletics, most recently as the Senior Associate Athletics Director for Internal Operations/Student-Athlete Affairs/SWA. Prior to that, she served for over five years as the Associate Athletics Director for Internal Operations/Student-Athlete Affairs and advisor to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). In 2024, her leadership was recognized when she was named the CIAA Senior Woman Administrator of the Year.
During her time at Claflin, Lee oversaw internal operations units, managed special projects, and provided strategic support to the Director of Athletics. Before transitioning into administration, Lee spent seven seasons as the Head Coach of the Lady Panthers softball program, finishing with a 196–123 (.614) career record and leading the team to its winningest season in 2016. Under her leadership, Claflin earned three consecutive NCAA national statistical championships and back-to-back SIAC Eastern Division titles. She was named the 2015 SIAC Co-Coach of the Year, and as a student-athlete, she earned the EIAC 2005 Pitcher of the Year honor.
A native of Eutawville, S.C., Lee is a 2010 graduate of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy, a former NCAA Leadership Conference participant, and a facilitator for the NCAA Division II Leadership Forum. She completed the NCAA & DII ADA Women & Minorities Mentoring Program (2018–19) and participated in the inaugural virtual NCAA/Women Leaders in College Sports Leadership Enhancement Institute (LEI) in 2020.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science (Claflin University, 2008), an MBA from Claflin University, 2023, and a Master of Arts in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University Irvine (2017). Lee is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., NACDA, Women Leaders in College Sports, and N4A, where she serves on the Student-Athlete Development Committee. She is the proud mother of her 16-year-old daughter, Raleigh.
Featured in: SVG Women’s Sports Workshop (12/15)