Nearly halfway through the 2022-23 Pathway Program, members of this year's cohort used several attention-grabbing words to capture the essence of their experience so far.
Descriptors like challenging, humbling and inspiring were prevalent answers. Others mentioned the growth, camaraderie and collaboration they've experienced through the program, a yearlong initiative designed to prepare senior-level athletics administrators for their next career step as athletics directors or conference commissioners.
One descriptor that encompasses them all?
"Transformational," said Katie Hine, who was recently hired as senior associate athletics director and senior woman administrator at Towson.
"It's been transformational for me," echoed Katie Willett, senior associate commissioner and senior woman administrator at the Big East Conference.
The Pathway Program's track record speaks to the impact it can have. Created in 1997, it has produced more than 100 program alumni, with nearly 30% of its graduates moving on to become athletics directors or conference commissioners. Additionally, more than 70% of the program alumni have received some level of promotion in relation to their title or job responsibilities.
Multiple members of this cohort have already become directors of athletics: Jason Imperati at Lawrence, Tiffani-Dawn Sykes at Florida A&M, Nikki Ayers at Juniata and Kyle Conder at California State University, Bakersfield. Imperati, who assumed his new role about a month after he started in the Pathway Program, said it's continued to enhance his leadership skills.
"It's not an easy program, but it's extremely rewarding. It's going to change your life. It really is," he said. "The group talks about it, all of our administrators, the folks doing it, they say the program works, and it's true."
There are several layers to what makes the program work.
One of them is a mentor program that pairs participants with a campus or conference representative. Often this is a current president, athletics director or conference commissioner who can provide a valuable perspective on creating a path to those leadership positions, as well as how to successfully manage the challenges they may present.
Sherika Montgomery, deputy commissioner of the Missouri Valley Conference, said her mentor, Big East Conference Commissioner Val Ackerman, had an "immediate impact."
"She just invested nuggets in me that immediately I was able to get off the phone and think through how I conduct business differently. That, for me, is the immediate impact," Montgomery said. "I've seen it be a difference-maker in just my overall productivity and efficiency and leadership."
Within its overall mission, the Pathway Program is designed to help cement participants' leadership skills through an intense process that includes self-reflection and professional development. Participants identify how their personal and professional values fit into their leadership philosophy. Participants are then challenged to effectively articulate to different audiences how their personal story aligns with their passion to lead a school or conference.
"Honestly, I think the program has been a way of convincing myself that I deserve to be in the room," said Amber Feldman, deputy commissioner and senior woman administrator at the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. "This program has given me the confidence to essentially reassure myself that, yes, I am ready, and we've got a great new wave of leaders that are in this group."
Each cohort benefits the individuals in it, who are constantly pushed out of their comfort zones. The result is a tightknit community of leaders who share ideas and lean on one another in their shared mission.
"The Pathway Program has been immensely impactful for me. I've been able to connect with new colleagues and learn from them across all three divisions, and we all have different stories and different experiences, which has been really helpful for me to even grow in the role I'm in right now," said Kellen Wells-Mangold, associate athletics director of compliance and student-athlete services at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. "All of these individuals have provided the foundation that I think I'm going to need to take that next step."
The list of career skills the program aims to provide is immense. Participants are educated in strategic planning; fundraising; message articulation; diversity, equity and inclusion; organizational leadership; hiring processes; and engagement with search firms. In October, participants attended their respective division's council meetings to gain a better understanding of the governance structure.
Throughout the year in the Pathway Program, participants engage with prominent guests and subject matter experts, including current and former athletics directors, commissioners and student-athletes. Current participants will finish the program next summer.
"My experience in the Pathway Program has been phenomenal and life-changing," said Sarah Fraser, deputy director of athletics at Quinnipiac. "I've had the fortune of doing some professional development programs in the past, but Pathway Program really brings together a great mix of technical experience and personal development and life and best practices in the industry."
