@1QLeadership Question: How can student-athlete development programs be effectively built and measured within collegiate athletics? Dr. Marissa Nichols, Sr. Associate AD for Student-Athlete Experience and Director of the Cameron Institute at Cal, shares her approach to creating measurable student-athlete development initiatives—from conducting needs assessments and aligning with institutional strategic goals to setting clear metrics for measuring program outcomes like career placement, mental we...
Jul 20, 2025•36 min
@1QLeadershp Question: What are some useful elements of cultivation for fundraising in college athletics? Mimi Hill, Sr. Associate Athletics Director at Hampton University, talks with 1Q guest host Jazmin Elliott about Hill's journey working in college athletics advancement. connect and listen to donors personalize your engagement cultivate each interaction Hill gives a few personal stories involving failure, success, mentorship and much more. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown...
Jun 28, 2025•24 min
@1QLeadership Question: How can an internship directly impact your early years as a young professional? Brandon Fisher , Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Development at UNT, and Colby Wilson , Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Development at Pitt, discuss the mindset and competencies they learned during the NCAA Post Graduate Internship Program, and now apply during their first full-time job as young professionals. Fisher - Understand how your supervisor operates Wilson - Advocate for y...
Jun 15, 2025•25 min
@1QLeadership Question: What role does leadership play in shaping feelings of inclusion (or exclusion) among Black women in college athletics administration? Dr. Jennifer Jacobs , Head Volleyball Coach at Augustana University, discusses her dissertation research outcomes after interviewing multiple Black women from all divisions of college athletics. One of the key findings is that the default for leadership is to be exclusionary, meaning helping people feel included is not automatic. There were...
Jun 01, 2025•47 min
@1QLeadership Question: How can college athletics departments best support student-athletes in navigating the transition out of competitive sports, particularly in addressing the challenges of athlete identity and life after sports? Caitlin Broadwell , Athletics Case Manager at Long Beach State, discusses the curriculum used in a class for senior student-athletes on campus. The semester long class focuses on values, developing community, find hobbies away from sports, and other foundation buildi...
May 31, 2025•32 min
@1QLeadership Question: Are athlete injuries predictable? Henry Abbott , Founder of TrueHoop, discusses his new book " Ballistic " which follows the story of Dr. Marcus Elliott and the Peak Performance Project (P3). Abbott talks about how Dr. Elliott's research is being used by NBA athletes to prevent injury. Similar to the way biomarkers are used to inform of possible cardiac emergencies, P3 has developed a way to process data about body movement that can detect an impending athlete injury. Abb...
Apr 27, 2025•35 min
@1QLeadership Question: Is there a success blueprint for leadership in college athletics? Dr. Jacqui Schuman, Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics at UMASS-Boston, asks Anthony Azama, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Director of Athletics at WashU, about his blueprint for success as a leader in college athletics. Azama describes his view on college athletics and its benefits to all involved. Passion does not run on fumes the way purpose does College athletics teaches people...
Apr 14, 2025•21 min
@1QLeadership Question: What goes into an effective graduate sport administration program? Dr. Patty Raube Keller, Sports Administration Graduate Program Director at Boston College, discusses how her background and experiences shaped her approach to building the sports administration program. After working in college athletics, she transitioned to academia to be more present for her daughter. Her doctoral focus was on the marginalization of women in college athletics. Raube Keller focuses on pra...
Mar 26, 2025•32 min
@1QLeadership Question: Can work-life integration be a necessity when considering future employers? Yulander Wells, Jr. , Deputy Athletics Director for Finance, Operations, Revenue & Business Strategy at Notre Dame shares how family has been an integral part of his career in college athletics. He also covers how his business background informs his leadership style, especially given Notre Dame's non-traditional approach to athletics. Wells emphasizes the importance of integrating family into ...
Mar 08, 2025•25 min
@1QLeadership Question: How do you integrate a leadership philosophy that emphasizes collaboration and informed decision-making within an athletics department? Dr. Jackie Shuman , Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics and Recreation at UMass Boston, discussing her leadership philosophy and approach to decision-making within college athletics. Gather as much insight as possible from stakeholders who have the most to gain or lose from a decision Consider the timing and level of impact of decis...
Mar 02, 2025•22 min
@1QLeadership Podcast: What happens when someone who always wanted to be in the background assumes the leadership position? This conversation initially took place on AthleticDirectorU.com. Deana Barnes, President at Paciolan, shares insight into her collective leadership strategy and how her longevity with the organization provides her with perspective. The conversation took place after Barnes had been in the position for roughly a year. She talks about vulnerability of leadership, and feeling b...
Feb 23, 2025•18 min
@1QLeadership Question: Can someone who dropped out of high school excel in college athletics administration? Randale Richmond, VP and Director of Athletics at Kent State, and Dr. Ron Moses, Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director at Old Dominion talk about culture, athlete identity, and leadership. Ron Moses discusses his journey to college athletics, including dropping out of high school, enlisting in the military, and starting his career in football Randale Richmond discusses his decisi...
Feb 16, 2025•43 min
@1QLeadership Question: How does a Vice President of Student Affairs develop a philosophy on college athletics? Sarah Comstock , VP for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at University of Puget Sound, discusses how she developed her philosophy on athletics after the department was recently reassigned to report to her. She talks about her input in creating a profile for hiring a new director of athletics. Comstock also gives insight into the importance of the position and how athletics fits int...
Feb 02, 2025•23 min
@1QLeadership Question: How much does an athletics director think about succession planning? Alex Ricker-Gilbert , Senior Vice President and Athletics Director at Jacksonville University, discusses hiring coaches and succession planning with Lamarr Pottinger , Director of Leadership Development with NCAA. Ricker-Gilbert has a process of identifying assistant coaches that could potentially be head coaches in the future and engaging with them regularly. He also talks about being aggressive with he...
Jan 26, 2025•23 min
@1QLeadership Question: Where does passion fit in sales and business development? Kevin Barefoot , Sr. VP of Business Development for Teamworks, discusses his experiences working in sales for startups. He talks about the culture at Teamworks and the company's growth. After spending a decade with WinAD, a tech startup operating in college athletics, Barefoot now finds himself in a role where he is leading and evaluating people. "You can't manufacture passion, but you also can't hide passion." "I ...
Jan 11, 2025•36 min
@1QLeadership Question: Is there a grieving period after losing your job? Amber McCray , volleyball coach and sports administrator, shares her introspection after being dismissed from the head coaching position at Louisiana Tech. Contemplating on what she valued from the experience, what she could have done differently, and where she goes from this point, McCray gives us an inside look into the mind of a coach who is "in transition." "God will scream at you if you don't listen to the whispers" -...
Dec 20, 2024•42 min
@1QLeadership Question: What does it take to find success in every role? Kortne Gosha , Sr. Associate AD for Capital Planning at Nebraska, visits with Wesley Abercrombie of Peak Sports to discuss leadership and finding career success. Gosha started his career as a football equipment manager. Since then, he has led an athletics department, hired coaches, raised money, and done a number of other things that has helped the institutions he worked for change for the better. - One Question Leadership ...
Dec 15, 2024•26 min
@1QLeadership Question: Can working in video production lead to a career in fundraising? Joseph Walters , Deputy Athletics Director for External Affairs and Chief Revenue Officer at Hampton University describes how his family-owned video production business has helped him to the role he currently holds in fundraising in college athletics. uses journalism background to tell the story of Hampton Athletics considers donors as investors minimizes workload in his mind to avoid nervousness Walters exp...
Dec 01, 2024•17 min
@1QLeadership Question: What are some of the best ways to communicate change from the leadership and management perspective? Troy Austin , Deputy Athletics Director for Development at Duke University, discusses his role helping the athletics director manage change. Interviewed by People and Culture Professional Lamarr Pottinger , Austin gives his definition of culture as "how the staff acts within its environment." Address points that are actually at play Don’t jump ahead of the facts Dispel rum...
Nov 15, 2024•20 min
@1QLeadership Question: Does the adjustment from making decisions to giving suggestions have to be difficult? Kim Record , Sr. Associate Commissioner & Chief of Staff at the Atlantic 10 (A10) Conference, talks about her adjustment to working with longtime A10 Commissioner, Bernadette McGlade. Record talks about times when challenging conversations are necessary for the team to be effective. trust is the bottom line of any kind of relationship anytime there is change, there is opportunity tea...
Nov 03, 2024•20 min
@1QLeadership Question: Can a team show consistent growth if most of the players come from the transfer portal? From the 2023 AVCA Convention, Matt Buttermore, Head Volleyball Coach at Omaha, talks about what he valued about the volleyball day matchup, which pitted Omaha against Nebraska and saw record attendance and viewership. He also gives his thoughts on transfers and NIL. you don't know exactly how a transfer will fit in we can't try to do the same things we did last year if we keep growing...
Oct 20, 2024•18 min
@1QLeadership Question: Does age matter if someone has the capacity to do the job? Tangela Cheatham , Deputy Athletic Director for Sport Administration and Senior Woman Administrator at Central Michigan, talks about being trusted with an executive level position at an early age. The woman who hired her, CMU Director of Athletics Amy Folan, was also trusted early in her career. credits 'supported autonomy' as a critical development tool most of her current responsibilities were new experiences wh...
Oct 12, 2024•24 min
@1QLeadership Question: Should substance abuse in sports be viewed as more than just a disciplinary issue? Ryan Cain , CEO of The Hope Desk, and Shelly Mullenix , Senior Associate AD for Health and Wellness at LSU, discuss the mechanics of providing mental health services for former LSU student-athletes. Mullenix talks about studying social work to further impact the people she has served for nearly three decades. Cain gives his story of recovery and how it led him to create The Hope Desk, which...
Oct 06, 2024•51 min
@1QLeadership Question: What role does a third-party multimedia rights holder play in mending and maintaining relationships with businesses throughout the campus community? Otis Wiley , General Manager at Michigan State Sports Properties (PlayFly), talks about his experiences in revenue generation, including repairing relationships on campus after the school faced a few tumultuous years in the news. PIPER Values - People Innovation Partnerships Empathy Results "If innovation comes with a plan of...
Sep 28, 2024•43 min
@1QLeadership Question: Are corporate partnerships always about advertising exposure? Jazmin Elliott , Director of Corporate Sponsorships and Marketing at Norfolk State athletics, discusses her thought process when looking for companies to partner with the department. She finds areas of alignment between the company and the university, that go beyond just advertising exposure. national brands don't need Norfolk State for exposure impactful relationships between a company and student-athletes are...
Sep 21, 2024•25 min
@1QLeadership Question: Can the processes learned throughout your career lay the foundation for entrepreneurial pursuits? Dr. Jason Penry , Founder of Penry Advisors, spent years working in fundraising in college athletics and on campus in general. Not long ago, he decided to start a business based on the concepts he learned during his career raising money. "involvement precedes investment, almost always" relationships work across all industries doing things for the greater good makes it easier ...
Sep 14, 2024•39 min
@1QLeadership Question: Do the titles given during your career define your underlying skillset? Chris McFarlane is the Deputy Athletics Director for External Relations and Business Development at UCF. At a quick glance, his career arc would have him labeled as a fundraiser. With further study, McFarlane's career is actually rooted in building programs. Hired to lead an athletics fundraising office in his mid-20s Purposely stepped away from a leadership role after successfully building a couple o...
Sep 08, 2024•47 min
@1QLeadership Question: Do winning head coaches need leadership training? Penny Lucas-White , Head Volleyball Coach at Alabama State, tells her introspective journey learning to be a better leader after 30 years in the role. She decided to invest in her own development by attending a John Maxwell leadership retreat. she was communicating but not connecting with student-athletes when student-athletes police themselves, the coach's job is easy the country is paying attention to the HBCU experience...
Sep 02, 2024•24 min
@1QLeadership Question: Can doing your job contribute to your professional development? Andrew Kearney , Deputy Athletics Director at Nicholls State, discusses how trying to help others on campus has helped him improve his communication skill. He also touches on learning from Division II and Division III institutions in terms of facilities and use of resources. find ways to do what it is you love about the job communicate mutual benefit to the campus community learn from other institutions who m...
Aug 24, 2024•20 min
@1QLeadership Question: Is it possible to pre-determine if someone will be a good hire? Brandi Stuart , Deputy AD for Administration and External Operations at Penn State, answers questions about her experience on the NCAA Softball Committee, accepting a job offer, hiring, and her role with the Nittany Lions. Restructuring NCAA Softball postseason play Power of a referral when considering a job, as well as, when hiring Telling the collective and continuing story of Penn State Athletics Hitting a...
Aug 17, 2024•38 min
