Tayler Onion, Ph.D.

Dr. Onion joined the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Education in August 2025, bringing with her 12 years of industry experience. She has worked in a variety of roles in sports, from academic advising and student-athlete development to fundraising and corporate sponsorships. As just the second faculty member to join the Sport Management program, Dr. Onion looks to add her expertise to an already dynamic learning environment.

Prior to joining the Sport Management faculty at UMSL, Dr. Onion most recently served as the Associate Athletic Director for External Relations for Western Illinois University (WIU) Athletics. During her two years with WIU, she oversaw all fundraising efforts for athletics and the office of athletic communications. She also led a redesign of the annual fundraising program, which led to a 47 percent increase in funds raised from the prior year. Onion also led the creation and launch of Leatherneck Legends, WIU Athletics' first major gift society focused on securing gifts of $25,000 or more.

Before her tenure at WIU, Dr. Onion served as the Head of Curriculum Development at Game Plan, where she oversaw an eLearning library of more than 1,000 unique courses for nearly 400 high school, college, and professional organizations. Onion also had stints in student-athlete development and athletic academic advising at the University of South Florida (USF), Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC), and the University of Memphis.

A two-time graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Onion earned her bachelor’s degree in Advertising (’13) and her master’s degree in Recreation, Sport and Tourism (’14). She was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection as a volleyball student-athlete at Illinois and served as the event management graduate assistant for Illini Athletics while earning her master’s degree. She earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Higher Education Administration from USF in December 2022. 

Dr. Onion's primary research interests focus on advancing equity and opportunity in sports, with particular emphasis on the experiences of women’s sports and women working in sports. She is passionate about exploring the intersection of sport, identity, and leadership, and seeks to empower the next generation of leaders in sport.

In addition to her role on campus, Dr. Onion is a member of Women Leaders in Sports (WLS) and Women in Sports and Entertainment (WISE). She is a graduate of several WLS professional development programs, including the Women’s Leadership Symposium (’15), the Institute for Administrative Advancement (’19), the Leadership Enhancement Institute ('24), and the Accelerator Summit ('25), as well as the recipient of the Brenda Weare Scholarship in 2024.

Published Research Areas

2022, December. Designation, Stagnation, and Representation: A Qualitative Exploration of the Self-Perception of Power Among NCAA Division I Senior Woman Administrators.