Tara Helton joined the Buck Harless Student Athlete Program as an Academic Counselor for Football in April of 2005. She was appointed Director of the Buck Harless Student Athlete Program in November, 2006.

A West Virginia native, she received both her B.A. and her M.A. in Counseling from Marshall University. Before joining the staff she was a tutor at the HELP Program for 6 years.

Helton is married to the Video Coordinator Brad Helton and the couple has two children, Ryan 9 and Haley 6.