Judy Sackfield, Deputy AD & SWA at Texas A&M Commerce, visits with @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast. Sackfield, having been interim AD twice, discusses how time in the Chair has helped her in her current role as the Deputy. She specifically speaks on learning to better package information so the AD can make well-informed decisions. Speaking on influence within the department, Sackfield mentions longevity and stability as assets when it comes to providing direction for Student-Athlete...
Jun 11, 2018•11 min
Lesley Irvine, AD at Pomona & Pitzer Colleges, joins @TaiMBrown to discuss the process of developing a culture. Hired as the first full-time AD in almost 20 years, Irvine's department has won conference & national championships. She talks about core values and working with different areas on campus to ensure a successful synergy in supporting athletics. Irvine also discusses the unique set up as Pomona College & Pitzer College are two different institutions but have one combined athl...
Jun 08, 2018•16 min
Jo Potuto, FAR & Law Professor at Nebraska, joins @TaiMBrown to discuss concerns currently on the minds of FARs around the country. Potuto touches on ramifications of potential transfer rules and maintaining academic integrity in the process. She also touches on the FAR's position in athletics in terms of being informed and active in vetting potential compliance issues as (or before) they arrive. Finally, Potuto expresses frustration that the faculty voice is somewhat muted in the current NC...
Jun 07, 2018•13 min
Dr. Kevin Blue, Director of Athletics at UC Davis, joins @TaiMBrown to discuss his methods of staff development and professional learning. Blue, the "Professorial AD," taught classes while earning his MBA & PhD and talks about how important learning is as a professional considering the ongoing changes in athletics. He also identifies his preferred methods of helping his staff prepare to handle tough situations, enhance their leadership roles, and provide the best possible environment for Stu...
Jun 05, 2018•10 min
Ron McKeefery, Vice President of Performance and Education for PLAE Perform, visits with @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast during the 2018 CSCCa National Conference. McKeefery, former S&C coach in the NFL, MLB, on the collegiate level, and with the Army Special Forces shares how S&C coaches can build impactful relationships and an open line of communication with Athletic Directors. He talks about consistency, efficiency, and outlines the importance of having an organized plan when req...
May 31, 2018•10 min
Patrick Dunkley, Deputy AD & Sr. University Counsel at Stanford, visits @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss how his legal background prepared him for his current role with Stanford athletics. Categorizing his responsibilities as 60/40 non-legal to legal work, he talks about his methods of keeping the university abreast of everything that goes on in athletics on campus and around the country. Dunkley also addresses his priority management methods as he also the top athletics compl...
May 29, 2018•12 min
Jason Grooms, Assistant AD for Football at Vanderbilt, visits with @TaiMBrown to discuss how the admin-level football operations role benefits the athletics department as a whole. He notes the growth from team travel manager, to being the bridge between the AD and the primary revenue generator. With tentacles in the biggest roster, budget, staff, and marketing projects, Grooms notes that the Football Operations Admin has to translate all aspects of the program down to one voice in senior-level a...
May 25, 2018•15 min
Kenneth Miles, Asstistant Vice Chancellor & Executive Director for the Cox Communications Center for Student-Athletes at LSU, visits with @TaiMBrown on 1.Question to discuss his unique role reporting to the Vice Provost of Academic Support & Review, as well as a dotted line to the AD. Miles notes that this setup helps everyone focus on recruitment and retention for all students. He also talks about how this structure has helped LSU athletics raise its Graduation Success Rate from 69% to ...
May 22, 2018•11 min
Continuing his visit with @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast, Dave Hart talks about trust in communications saying that most, if not all, major decisions in athletics should be communicated with the President well before those decisions are actually made. He also talks about his new venture, Athletics Legacy Partners, and its leadership development mission. When discussing his current role as Special Advisor to the Chancellor at ECU, he says it is exactly what he wants to do as he winds down h...
May 18, 2018•12 min
Dave Hart, long time leader in the college athletics industry and current Special Advisor to the Chancellor at ECU visits with @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast. In the first part of the conversation, Hart talks about the leadership challenge of making tough decisions. He mentions the influence of mentors in providing direction when a potential decision could go against the values leaders have established for themselves. Hart goes on to say that values based decisions can be, at times, very u...
May 17, 2018•9 min
Garrett Rowland, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Lee University, visits @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast during the 2018 CSCCa National Conference. Two years ago, Coach Rowland was asked to build Lee University's first strength & conditioning program as the school was completing the transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II. Rowland discusses the process of getting coaches and administrators on board as he implemented the new program. He also touches on the intricacies of organi...
May 14, 2018•13 min
Coach Andrea Hudy, Asst. AD for Sports Performance at Kansas, visits with @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast during the 2018 CSCCa National Conference. Coach Hudy was an integral component to multiple national championships at UCONN and most recently, in 2008, with Kansas Men's Basketball. Assessing her current post with KU, Hudy discusses leadership and creating a successful culture in the Athletic Performance role; specifically as it relates to and complements the head coach's style in leadi...
May 10, 2018•11 min
Scott Wetherbee, VP & Director of Athletics at Eastern Michigan University, joins @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss his progression from a ticketing intern to Athletics Director. He recalls his exposure to alumni, marketing, development, and much of the external side of athletics as the foundation for his experience leading to the AD chair. Wetherbee also mentions the challenge for those in tickets is to avoid being pigeonholed as just a ticketing person by being active in as m...
May 08, 2018•10 min
Devin Crosby, Director of Athletics at Lynn University, joins @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss his approach to leadership. He discusses his philosophy on the fundamentals of C.A.R.E. (Cultivate, Absorb, Rest, Excellence). Crosby also talks about his process of running meetings using Design Thinking. During those meetings, he puts his title as AD to the side, a process which he says allows free-flowing problem solving and creativity without everyone looking to him for all the answe...
May 07, 2018•10 min
Patti Phillips, CEO of Women Leaders in College Sports (Women Leaders) joins @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss the changing narrative around women in leadership roles within the industry. As of the recording, 26 women have been hired to positions such as Director of Athletics, Commissioner, etc. in 2018. Phillips talks about the Women Leaders mission of taking a proactive role in advancing women into positions of influence; specifically through its leadership institutes, membership...
May 02, 2018•10 min
Harry Stinson, Athletics Director at Lincoln (Pa.) University joins @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss the process of moving a portion of the Lions athletics portfolio to a different conference. A member of the CIAA (NCAA DII), Lincoln University moved the Baseball & Women's Soccer teams to the East Coast Conference (ECC) in early 2018. Stinson touches on his leadership relative to the Student-Athletes and coaches during the transition time before officially joining the ECC....
Apr 30, 2018•11 min
Kevin Hurley, Sr. Associate AD for Facilities & Construction at Texas A&M, visits with @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss the process of coordinating multi-million dollar facilities projects. Hurley specifically talks about one of (if not the) biggest renovation projects in college athletics, the $450 million upgrade to the football stadium-Kyle Field. He notes that the biggest challenges those in facilities face are budgetary concerns, scope of the facility, and time to com...
Apr 26, 2018•12 min
Mike Hill, AD at UNC-Charlotte, visits with @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss executing a basketball search within the first month of accepting the position. Hill, a first-time AD, talks understanding the expectations from the moment he was hired. Empowered by the 49er leadership, he leaned on his experience with Florida Athletics to execute the search in a high-level fashion. The conversation also touched on the challenges of priority management that come with being new to the AD ...
Apr 24, 2018•14 min
David Wright, Assistant VP, Development Officer, & AD at Gettysburg College (PA) visits @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss his unique responsibilities reporting to the Enrollment & Educational Services Division. In this role, Wright has had a hand in bringing the coaches on staff to the table to understand the admissions process beyond just athletics. He also has been very active in fundraising for the school and touches on how that has proven to be beneficial for all partie...
Apr 23, 2018•15 min
Portia Hoeg, Director of Athletics and Recreation at Allegheny College, joins @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss some of the challenges that NCAA Division III institutions face as the cost of higher education continues to rise. Hoeg touches on the struggles of many DIII athletic departments related to recruiting and offering financial aid packages. She even finds herself explaining the value of the college experience to the parents of some recruits because of the high costs of tuiti...
Apr 13, 2018•8 min
1.Question Co-host @TaiMBrown continues his conversation with Eric Hyman, retired college athletics leader. Hyman talks about maintaining values and avoiding situational ethics as a leader in the current high-dollar college athletics environment. On the question of taking time for himself and his family when he was an AD, Hyman admits he wasn't the best at it. He recommends leaders take a step backwards, take time to re-energize yourself, and invest in your family.
Apr 10, 2018•10 min
Victor Santa Cruz, Head Football Coach at Azusa Pacific University, visits with @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss the transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II. Santa Cruz mentions how including the whole athletics department in the decision making process helped create collective buy-in. He also mentions NCAA brand awareness as an immediate benefit while recruiting, as well as new donors coming on board to help increase scholarships and make the transition successful.
Apr 09, 2018•10 min
Tim Duncan, new Deputy AD for External Affairs at Northeastern University, recently stepped down as Director of Athletics at Clayton State. Prior to doing so, he visited @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss professional development for his staff and Student-Athletes. Duncan, founder of the Emerging ADs conference, speaks to possibly being hired by a former Student-Athlete as the ultimate measure of success in terms of leadership development.
Apr 06, 2018•8 min
Eric Hyman, former Director of Athletics at VMI, Miami (OH), TCU, South Carolina, and Texas A&M, visits with @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast. Hyman's career spanned 47 years in intercollegiate athletics including his time as a Student-Athlete, football coach, and athletics administrator. In the first of two parts, he discusses what it takes to be successful and have longevity in the AD chair.
Apr 05, 2018•10 min
Chris Fuller, Deputy Athletics Director for External Operations at Syracuse University, visits with @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss the similarities and differences between the corporate sales & marketing industry and athletic development in college athletics. Fuller goes into the interesting intricacies of university fundraising campaigns such as how much money is actually available to use after a successful campaign. This is an excellent peek behind the development curtain....
Apr 04, 2018•15 min
Paul Winters, Head Football Coach at Wayne State University, joins @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss how his very visible role as football coach is and should be a benefit to the athletics department as a whole. From development, being an ambassador for the university, and providing community service, Coach Winters speaks to the variety of ways he and his program support the university and the wider Detroit community. (Recorded during the 2018 AFCA Convention)
Apr 02, 2018•9 min
Stevie Baker-Watson, Associate VP & Director of Athletics at DePauw University joins @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss group dynamics. Baker-Watson has served on dozens of NCAA committees and working groups designed to improve the state of college athletics. In this discussion, she shares her insight on how successful groups can function to produce effective outcomes.
Mar 30, 2018•14 min
Dr. Pat Ivey, Assistant AD for Athletic Performance at Arkansas State, visits with @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss the influence held by those in the Strength & Conditioning/Athletic Performance position. Coach Ivey expounds on the variety of evaluation methods that strength coaches face, such as reporting to the football coach, a sport admin, and possibly the director of athletics. He also touches on the process of implementing a sports psychologist into the fold during his ...
Mar 27, 2018•15 min
Albany State's AD, Sherie Cornish Gordon, visits with @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss the leadership challenges involved with combining two athletics programs from two very different institutions. When Albany State University absorbed Darton State College, Gordon had to outline expectations and a vision for the new Golden Rams athletics department, all while maintaining success on and off the field. Of note - all this took place during her first year on the job.
Mar 26, 2018•7 min
Brian Streeter, Director of Athletics at Penn State - Behrend, visits with @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss the benefits of longevity and continuity at one institution. Streeter has been at Penn State - Behrend for 21 years, with coaches on staff that have been there for longer than he has. During his tenure, he has added 16 sports to the portfolio. The conversation touches on avoiding complacency by realizing every year as a new year and being fair to every sport, coach, and stud...
Mar 23, 2018•14 min
