The NCAA has selected 17 minority athletics administrators to take part in the Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute, a program that aims to elevate participants' leadership skills to accelerate their professional growth while enhancing their ability to excel within their current roles.
The 17 selected learners will take part in a week of professional development programming July 15-22 in New Orleans. Additionally, 18 athletics administrators who started the Leadership Institute last summer will take part in programming in New Orleans and be recognized at a graduating ceremony on the final day there.
"The Leadership Institute serves as a catalyst leadership development program that propels the careers of those who participate. The learners in year one are rising stars within their fields, and we look forward to this programming pushing them even higher," said DeeDee Merritt, director of leadership development at the NCAA.
Those in the first year of the Leadership Institute begin with a week of activities and key learning focused on exploring career aspirations and enhancing essential skills. Attendees will spend time exploring goals, clarifying values and looking closer at their behavioral styles, as well as those of their peers. As part of the programming, administrators take part in an intensive budget activity, allowing them to engage fellow learners and refine practical problem-solving skills.
Additionally, those in year one will engage with a variety of subject matter experts and gain knowledge in several areas, such as the challenges of minority leadership within college athletics, student-athlete welfare issues, strategic planning, budget management, fundraising, compliance, human resources and performance management within the organization.
Participants will have the opportunity to explore the internal workings of an athletics department with a visit to a local university, where they will actively engage athletics department staff members with discussions of campus culture, organizational structures and communications best practices.
Year two of the Leadership Institute focuses on in-depth personality and leadership assessments that provide learners with valuable insight into their strengths and areas of improvement. They work with a consultant to dissect assessment results and walk away with tangible applications for self-reflection. Additionally, they are assigned an intensive case study activity to hone their skills in collaboration, effective communication and the development of a capital campaign.
The administrators in year two also complete a comprehensive DiSC 363 assessment combining peer and mentor feedback to provide a 360-degree assessment of their strengths and weaknesses in the realm of leadership effectiveness. On the final day in New Orleans, year-two participants will matriculate in a recognition ceremony attended by program alumni from years past.
More than 400 administrators have graduated from the Leadership Institute since it started in 2002, and more than 60% of those have gone on to hold senior leadership positions in college athletics. Since their engagement in the 2021 Leadership Institute, 75% of administrators participating in the second year of the program have received promotions.
Visit the Leadership Institute's webpage to learn more about the program, including who is eligible to apply, how and when to apply, and specific information on the programming.
Year one learners
- Ron Baines, assistant director of career engagement and program development, New Jersey City, Division III.
- Mark Bennett, assistant athletics director of compliance/athletics and recreational services, Lincoln (Pennsylvania), Division II.
- Sheridan Blanford, associate athletics director for diversity, equity and inclusion, Washington, Division I.
- Epiphany Clark, deputy athletics director/external resources, Michigan State, Division I.
- Clifton Douglass, associate commissioner for basketball, Conference USA, Division I.
- Jazlyn Eddings, director of academics, Virginia, Division I.
- Courtney Gay, assistant athletics director of diversity, equity and inclusion, Georgia, Division I.
- Brianna Gladney, associate athletics director of event operations, Nevada, Division I.
- Fredrick Holmes, assistant director of athletics for student-athlete advising/interim director of compliance, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Division II.
- Jennifer Jacobs, volleyball head coach, Augustana (South Dakota), Division II.
- Kentrell Kearney, senior associate athletics director for compliance, Dartmouth, Division I.
- John Kelly, associate director of facilities and event management, Vanderbilt, Division I.
- Shelby McKay, associate commissioner/student-athlete and institutional programs, Atlantic Coast Conference, Division I.
- Jasmine Quinn, director of championships, Southwestern Athletic Conference, Division I.
- Amber Thomas, coordinator of sports administration and championships, Centennial Conference, Division III.
- Michael Thomas, associate athletics director, major and principal gifts/senior director of development for athletics, Cincinnati, Division I.
- Robert Vogel, associate athletics director/sports information director/compliance, Alverno, Division III.
Year two learners
- Chad Allen, director of student-athlete development/career exploration, Cincinnati, Division I.
- Patsy Armstrong, assistant athletics director for student-athlete enrollment, Tulsa, Division I.
- Marcus Brown, assistant director of academic and membership affairs, NCAA.
- Demetrus Caldwell, deputy athletics director/chief of staff/deputy Title IX coordinator, Cal State LA, Division II.
- Tangela Cheatham, deputy athletics director/administration/senior woman administrator, Central Michigan, Division I.
- Kenneth Cox Jr., associate athletics director, Birmingham-Southern, Division III.
- Charles Dean III, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee co-chair, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Division III.
- Sovanny Kon, head women's volleyball coach, Rutgers-Newark, Division III.
- Alvin Franklin, associate athletics director/development and team lead, Mississippi State, Division I.
- LaTaya Hilliard-Gray, deputy director of athletics/senior woman administrator/deputy Title IX coordinator, Elizabeth City State, Division II.
- Kristina Minor, senior associate athletics director for compliance and regulatory affairs, Northwestern, Division I.
- Ronald Moses, executive senior associate athletics director/internal operations and student-athlete welfare, Old Dominion, Division I.
- Ivana Rich, associate vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics, Edward Waters University, Division II.
- Ben Rodriguez, director of development/major gifts, Rutgers, Division I.
- Lily Rodriguez, director of enrichment services/academics, Columbia, Division I.
- Jani Springer, assistant athletics director/diversity, equity, inclusion/student success, Grinnell, Division III.
- Jaime Walls, associate athletics director/recruitment and compliance, Catholic, Division III.
- Jolisa Williams, assistant athletics director for media relations, Bowie State, Division II.
