Superpower: Finding spaces and taking them to the next level
Deputy Director of Athletics, Chief Operating Officer, and Senior Woman Administrator, Marshall University
Education has always been at the heart of Niesha Campbell’s story. Her mother, who became a parent as a teenager and never had the opportunity to finish high school, made it clear that education would be her daughter’s path to opportunity. Campbell embraced that challenge. She became the first person in her family to go to college, finishing her bachelor’s degree in just three years. Today, that edict is a family legacy, instilled in her and husband Kevin McLeod’s two daughters, Kaitlyn and Aubrey.
Campbell joined Wachovia Bank as an internal auditor and climbed the ranks, working as a senior auditor for four years. When her longtime friend Gerald Harrison took a position at Duke University, he saw an opportunity for her to join the team—first as associate director of compliance, then as director of human resources.
“The athletic director at the time told me I should try fundraising,” Campbell says. “That was a big lesson I learned in my career: When someone sees something in you that you don’t see yourself, it’s worth exploring.” She first led the annual fund before transitioning to major gifts. Next, Campbell worked for the advancement division of a K–12 institution, then as the deputy athletics director at Austin Peay State University.
When Harrison became Marshall University’s director of athletics, Campbell went to the press conference to show her support. She didn’t initially plan on joining him, but she found that Huntington felt like home and the people there felt like family. As a first-generation college graduate, Campbell was especially drawn to Marshall’s mission of expanding access and opportunity. She joined the university in August 2025 as deputy athletics director, chief operating officer, and senior woman administrator.
“College athletics gives young people the opportunity to continue pursuing what they love while earning an education that can change the trajectory of their lives,” she says. “As a first-generation college graduate, I know firsthand what access to education can mean. That’s what continues to inspire me every day.”
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Since 2014 WV Living magazine has been honoring West Virginia Wonder Women, amazing women who are raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their industries, and forcing change for the greater good. WV Living is proud to celebrate these Appalachian mothers, millennials, and mavens proving that in a time full of uncertainty, divisiveness, and hate, love for one another is all we really need. No need for bulletproof bracelets or a golden lasso of truth—these women are creating a better West Virginia with their can-do attitudes and Mountain State spirit.
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