Darron Coley, a member of the Clemson Track & Field program, has been named an ACC student-athlete representative on the NCAA Autonomy Committee, the conference announced on Thursday.

The ACC announced three student-athlete representatives from its member institutions who will hold voting power on proposed NCAA rule changes under the Division I autonomy process. Coley, Wake Forest’s Caroline Kuhn (volleyball), and Syracuse’s Kingsley Jonathan (football) will participate as members of the ACC Autonomy Committee and will be invited to attend various ACC governance meetings and participate as members of the voting delegation at the 2020 NCAA Convention.

This is the fifth group of ACC student-athletes chosen to represent the league in the NCAA Autonomy process.

“The input our student-athletes bring to the governance process is invaluable and we look forward to having Darron, Kingsley and Caroline around the table,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “Over the last five years of the autonomy process, the contributions from our student-athletes have helped shape the significant and necessary changes in the collegiate model.”

A native of Centreville, Virginia, Coley graduated in May with a degree in management and a minor in psychology. He has one season of eligibility remaining and plans to pursue a master’s degree in business administration. Coley served as the school’s SAAC Vice President and gained experience as an intern with Clemson’s Director of Presidential Communications.

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted in August of 2014 to restructure how schools and conferences govern themselves, paving the way for student-athletes to have a voice – and a vote – at every level of decision-making. A council, established as part of that process, is responsible for day-to-day operations of the division and includes two seats for student-athletes, two for faculty and four for commissioners.

The new model also granted flexibility to schools in the Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Southeastern conferences to change rules for themselves in a list of specific areas within Division I. The legislative process for these 65 schools includes the three student-athlete representatives from each conference who vote on rule changes.

—courtesy ACC Communications