Tiffini Grimes joined Purdue Athletics in the role of Deputy Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator in August 2022. The move returned Grimes to her alma mater following a nearly six-year stint at the University of Alabama (2016-22), where she most recently served as Senior Deputy Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator.
At Purdue, Grimes provides leadership and oversight for several areas of the department, including academic services, business, compliance, human resources, student-athlete development, sports medicine, and sports performance. She also supports Purdue's football, women's basketball, and softball teams as a program administrator.
Grimes' focus for the Boilermakers includes shaping Purdue's departmental strategy and advising staff on the evolving landscape of college athletics. She serves on the department's Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) working group, utilizing her expertise in the area, including her previous experience establishing Alabama's Elite Athlete Program, which helped notable student-athletes transition into professional sports and supported Alabama's NIL initiative.
As a member of Alabama's executive leadership team, Grimes supported the Crimson Tide's football program as an administrator and provided strategic direction for the department, overseeing several internal areas.
In her role as Senior Woman Administrator, Grimes represents Purdue University within the Big Ten Conference and engages in leadership at the national level through her roles on the NCAA Division I Rowing Committee and the Women Leaders in College Sports Nominating Committee.
Grimes was recently named to the Sports Business Journal's Forty Under 40 Class of 2022, an annual distinction for top team executives, administrators, and officials within the sports industry. She was also recognized in The Athletic's College Sports 40 Under 40, highlighting the fastest-rising professionals in the industry.
A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Grimes began at Alabama in October 2016 as Assistant Athletics Director for football and men's basketball compliance before quickly advancing to Associate Athletics Director. She also served as men's basketball sport administrator and was promoted to Deputy Director of Athletics in December 2019.
Before her time at Alabama, Grimes worked in Indianapolis at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) headquarters as Assistant Director within the Enforcement Football Development Group, identifying trends and gathering information regarding issues detrimental to the game of football.
Grimes also worked in athletics compliance at Penn State and Georgia Tech, specifically with football recruiting, amateurism, agents, and waivers of NCAA legislation. She also worked with basketball programs and Olympic sports in a compliance, policy, and life skills programming capacity.
A former intern for the John Purdue Club during her undergraduate career at Purdue University, Grimes earned a Bachelor's degree in Political Science. She is also a graduate of Valparaiso University, earning a Master's degree in Sports Administration and a Juris Doctorate.
