Relationships matter.
This was the message shared by NCAA President Charlie Baker to open the 2024 NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar. Hosted by the NCAA leadership development staff, the three-day event welcomed nearly 200 interns and graduate assistants from NCAA member schools, conference offices and affiliate organizations to the national office from Feb. 6-8.
Baker described how building relationships with those around you can help you grow.
"Growth is getting to know all the hopes and dreams of people who are different than you," he told the attendees.
This year's Emerging Leaders Seminar was the first to be held in person since 2020, allowing attendees to connect face to face with one another. The professional development event, which has been held every year since 2008, provides leadership, educational and transitional programming for selected participants. This year's theme, Rookie Season, emphasized the importance of developing self-awareness and discovering purpose as a young professional.
"ELS is a program for entry-level professionals in college athletics looking to get their foot in the door and establish themselves a little bit more," said Colby Wilson, postgraduate intern of leadership development who helped organize the event. "We're trying to equip them with some tools as newer professionals in their rookie season that they can use moving forward to help change the game in college athletics."
Throughout the program, attendees engaged with NCAA staff and industry professionals through breakout sessions, panel discussions and a networking reception. Sessions provided insight into different areas of the industry, such as academics and student-athlete development, business and finance, coaching and compliance. Other sessions provided tips for personal and professional development and covered topics such as mentorship and relationship management, personal branding and interview best practices. The program also featured a DiSC assessment workshop, in which learners developed an understanding of their personal and professional communication styles.
"I gained a lot of exposure by being able to mix and mingle with different perspectives," said Eric Hunt, coordinator of communications at Penn College. "I got to immerse myself in new roles and responsibilities outside of my current one in communications: finance, fundraising, development and coaching. I think having the opportunity to get information in all of those areas can really help mold you into a more (well)-rounded professional."
The event spotlighted several speakers, including Jonathan Sprinkles, founder of The Connection Lab, who spoke about how to build trust, increase confidence and develop into a great leader. Meg Stevens, vice president and director of athletics and campus operations at Averett, spoke to the attendees about the role they will play in the evolving college athletics industry, as well as the importance of serving student-athletes.
These messages resonated with Chassity Bradford, who is a sports information assistant and game day coordinator, as well as a women's basketball assistant coach at King's (Pennsylvania).
"What it means to me to be a part of the Emerging Leaders Seminar is that I get the opportunity to meet new people, become a better leader within an institution and, most importantly, take care of student-athletes, because that's my biggest passion," she said. "Being a student-athlete was everything to me. Being able to create the best experience possible is why I want to be a leader and why this seminar is helping me."
The program also featured a group case study activity in which attendees were tasked with creating solutions for common concerns within college athletics departments. Each group delivered final presentations to a panel of experts for review.
"I found the case study activity to be an extremely valuable experience," said Aaron Trumino, student-athlete enrichment postgraduate fellow at Bucknell. "In addition to learning about different areas of the industry, it offered an opportunity to apply what we learned from the DiSC assessment about communicating, collaborating and leading within small teams."
Mark Trumbo, associate director of leadership development at the NCAA, closed out the three-day program with a presentation about the importance of discovering your purpose and appreciating your progress. He reminded attendees that pushing themselves out of their comfort zone and building strong relationships throughout their journey will be essential to their success.
"This event will impact me as a person and professional because it's going to make me do the hard things," Bradford said. "I met so many people and, by getting out of my comfort zone, I was able to learn more about myself and others."
"ELS creates a unique opportunity to not only learn from professionals, but also learn from your peers that are in the exact same positions," Hunt added. "We are growing together and molding the athletic landscape together … and to be part of that is definitely something special."
