Holding the Ladder in Sport and Leadership

The host of the Holding the Ladder in Sport and leadership podcast, Dr. Tim Rice is the Lead Faculty for the Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) program, as well as a Lead Faculty Member in the Sport and Performance Psychology specialization in PsyD program at University of Arizona Global Campus. He came to the University of Arizona Global Campus after serving in a similar role at University of the Rockies. Dr. Rice grew up on the Alabama Gulf Coast in a small town about 25 miles from the Gulf of Mexico (Robertsdale). He has been in higher education for over 20 years at colleges and universities across the country. In addition, he has served as a head coach in basketball, cross country, soccer, golf, and track and field during his 25+ year coaching career at the high school, collegiate and international levels. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from Mobile College (1993), a Master of Sport Science degree in Sport Management from the United States Sports Academy (1999), and a Doctor of Sports Management degree in Sport Management/Human Resource Management from the United States Sports Academy (2005). Dr. Rice has extensive online teaching experience after serving at numerous online schools for over 12 years. Dr. Rice and his late wife, Candy (pictured with Tim), lived all over the United States. They have also lived abroad in the Republic of Ireland serving in consulting positions. He has served as a consultant with Basketball Ireland, the FIBA governing body for basketball in the country, since 2015. Additionally, he consults with Admirals Basketball Academy in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine in Eastern Europe. You can reach Tim at timothy.rice@uagc.edu.

Dr. Marty Durden has nearly five decades of athletic leadership experience. He is currently the athletic director at Calvary Christian School in Columbus, Georgia. Durden earned his Doctor of Education degree in sports management from the U.S. Sports Academy in 2016 and has written extensively about the “servant-leader” model of coaching, including in a 2019 Sport Digest piece titled "The Call for a Higher Standard Than Winning" and authoring "More Than Winning: The Servant-Leader Coach in Contemporary Society," released in December 2022: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/more-than-winning-marty-durden/1142813591.

Durden is a veteran coach whose teams have won state championships in basketball, baseball, football, and golf over the span of nearly five decades. He previously worked as the athletic director at Presbyterian School in Houston, and has also worked as an adjunct faculty member at Belhaven University, Concordia Texas University and at Houston Baptist University.

Eabha Rutledge is a successful county and club Gaelic footballer with Kilmacud Crokes and her county team Dublin. She has been part of Dublin's All-Ireland four-in-a-row panels and a recent Division 1 league final win against Cork. She is a Fund Accounting Supervisor at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and is also a sport entrepreneur as she set up a dry weather GAA gloves company, Great Grip Gloves. This idea goes back to her participation in an exchange visitor program in the United States on a J1 visa in Chicago in summer 2017 when she lined out with Aisling Gaels. Having always worn standard foam football gloves all year around, the heat turned her off doing so Stateside. Her gloves are dry weather GAA Gloves which enhance performance with a new advanced glove which provides a strong reliable grip. You can take a look at these innovative gloves at https://greatgripgloves.shop/.

Dr. David Tenney is the High Performance Director for Austin FC in Major League Soccer (MLS). He has a wealth of major league sport experience, including several successful seasons in MLS, and a long history in soccer in the U.S. and internationally. 

He joined Austin FC after three years as the first High Performance Director for the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Orlando Magic (2017-2020) following 11 seasons in MLS. During Tenney’s stewardship of the Magic’s high performance department, the Magic made back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since 2012. Tenney joined the Orlando Magic after nine seasons (2009-2017) with the Seattle Sounders, serving as High Performance Director for the 2017 season, after previous stints as Sports Science & Performance Manager (2015-2016) and Head Fitness Coach (2009-2014). While with the Sounders, the team won the MLS Cup (2016), the U.S. Open Cup four times (2009-2012), and made the MLS Playoffs in nine consecutive years (2009-2017). During his time in Seattle, Tenney created the Sounders Sports Science Summit, which has become a leading sports science conference. Prior to joining the Sounders, Tenney served as both Fitness and Goalkeeper coach with Sporting Kansas City (then known as the Kansas City Wizards) for two seasons (2007-2008).

Before joining Sporting Kansas City, Tenney held the same dual role of Goalkeeper Coach and Head Fitness Coach with the George Mason University men’s and women’s teams for two (2) seasons (2004-2006). In 2006, the George Mason men’s team advanced to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament for the first time in 12 years. During that period, Tenney served as the Director of Girls Olympic Development Program (ODP) for the state of Maryland, while also serving as the head of fitness and youth technical director for the Washington Freedom SC.

Tenney played collegiate soccer at Virginia Tech (the Hokies) from 1989-1991, serving as team captain during his final two seasons. As goalkeeper, he was voted Metro Conference Tournament Defensive Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1989. Additionally, Tenney played for several lower division teams in Germany and with various U.S. indoor soccer teams, ending his career with the Baltimore Blast (1998- 2000) of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL).

Tenney earned a Master’s degree in Exercise Science-performance enhancement from California University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s degree in Coaching Science from George Mason University. He also holds a Czech Republic "A" coaching license. He is also a certified National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) performance enhancement specialist and a Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach (CSCS). He earned his Ph.D. in Organizational Development and Leadership from the University of Arizona Global Campus in 2022.

Hannah Thornton has always been passionate about sport. She played basketball for Ireland at the age of 14 and at the age of 17 obtained a sports scholarship with the University of Northern Colorado, playing in NCAA Division I's Big Sky Conference. She also devoted a little time to study, obtaining her Bachelor Degree in Sports and Exercise Science and a separate degree in Nutrition.​

After graduation, Hannah began work at an elite sports-specific training facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado where the focus was to transform young adults into top athletes. Here, she qualified as a Personal Trainer, working with the best athletes in Colorado, as well as aspiring candidates for the NFL and NBA.​ After two years Ireland beckoned, and Hannah returned home to use the training and principles learned during her six years in the States.

Initially working with a small company that was dedicated to High Performance Team Development, Hannah started with the health and wellbeing sector of the corporate world. She explained the importance of health and performance to clients in different professions around the world, often presenting to hundreds of people at a time. Regardless of culture, country or gender, Hannah's message was consistent - focus on wellbeing, focus on nutrition, focus on resilience.

In 2017, Hannah took the big step - she decided to follow her own dream of impacting and helping young adults and teenagers to achieve their full potential. First step: she added to her training by qualifying for the International Sports Society of Nutrition, followed by a Masters in Applied Sports and Exercise Nutrition.

Hannah's mission for Next Generation Health is to help create a healthier generation in Ireland. She wants to raise the bar in the health and performance. What helps Hannah stand out is that she herself is an elite athlete, currently playing for Ireland's senior women team for basketball. This allows Hannah to engage with elite athletes on a whole different level and helps her excel at what she does best- which is performance nutrition! Her website is www.nextgenerationhealth.ie.

Dr. Maryrose Blank is a Sport and Performance Psychology Consultant with over 15 years of experience incorporating mental skills training with various populations to include the military, athletes, coaches, and other high performing corporate organizations.  

Dr. Blank began her career in college athletics, working at several colleges and universities before transitioning to working with the military. For over a decade, most of her efforts have involved supporting the Department of Defense in Human Performance program design and implementation, with an emphasis on cognitive and mental performance. Specifically, Dr. Blank’s clients have ranged from the 18th Airborne Corps to the Special Operations community.  

She is the founder of Tier-1 Mindset, LLC where she partners with a multi-disciplinary team of experts in the human performance field to develop programs designed to assist individuals in maintaining sustainable, peak performance.  

Dr. Blank is a Certified Mental Performance Coach (CMPC) with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). Her passion is training individuals to reach health and performance goals through systematic mental skills training, using data analytics, biofeedback, and cognitive behavioral therapy methodologies.  

Her hobbies include mountain biking, running, and spending time with her dog. She is an Upstate NY native and an avid Buffalo Bills fan. She currently resides in Northern Virginia. Her website is https://www.tier1mindset.com for more information.

Scott Hunter is a former NFL quarterback who played for eight seasons for the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons, and Detroit Lions, retiring in 1980. Before his NFL career, he was the starting quarterback for the Paul "Bear" Bryant-led Alabama Crimson Tide. Hunter is one of five Alabama quarterbacks (Blake Sims, Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, and Bryce Young) to throw for 400 yards in a game.

After his NFL career concluded, Hunter returned to Alabama and worked as a sportscaster in Mobile for nearly two decades. He worked for WKRG-TV, the CBS affiliate, and then for WPMI-TV, the NBC affiliate. He currently works as an investment broker and also co-hosts a seasonal radio show on WNSP 105.5 FM called "Talkin' Football" (pronounced Tawlkin-Football) with former Auburn University lineman, Tracy Turner, and legendary WNSP personality, Dave Schultz. He is also a commercial pilot. Hunter was inducted in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.

He is a 1970 graduate of the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce and Business Administration. He is a member of the Board of Visitors of the University of Alabama Business School and Board of Directors of the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Additionally, he is a past Board member and President of the NFL Retired Players Association. He is married to his wife Deborah, a former Alabama cheerleader, and they are the parents of three children.

Ari Kafka is a former professional athlete and current Mental Performance Coach for athletes. He likes to help athletes flourish under pressure and overcome mental blocks to excel at their game. Additionally, he helps transitioning athletes who are ending their sport playing careers dig deep to find their unique character strengths and how they can utilize them on a daily basis. He guides them on their journey to find their next passion in their lives.

In between High School and College, he was fortunate to work with Dick Radatz ("The Monster"), a dominant closer for multiple Major League Baseball (MLB) teams in the ‘60s, and Jim Lonborg, a Cy Young Award winning pitcher. Both men introduced him to the importance of the mental game in sports, which helped take his game to the next level. Although he struggled with inconsistency, with the help of these mentors he improved his game each year at NCAA Division I Quinnipiac University.

He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners and played three seasons of Minor League baseball. During that time, he benefited from working closely with Dr. Jack Curtis, author, motivational speaker, and Mental Skills consultant for athletes. After retiring, he started working with a close mentor who encouraged him to pursue a Masters in Social Work. He is a licensed Social Worker. Over the past 10 years, he has been honing his clinical skills, helping incarcerated inmates, abuse victims, addicts, and gap year students dealing with and working through mental health issues. 

Please see his website for more information is https://www.arikafka.com/. 

Tatiana Gallová is Slovakian FIBA licensed coach and lecturer, who finished FECC and ICAB program; and has a Ph.D. in basketball coaching.

Her latest achievements are finishing best of the class 2013-2015 at the FIBA FECC program and winning the Austrian Cup and Championship 2015/2016 with Flying Foxes SVS Post. Since 2016/2017, she works for men's team Kapfenberg Bulls as an assistant coach and scout, and helped the team to win Austrian Cup (2017, 2018), Supercup (2018) and Championship (2017, 2018).

She started her career in 1999 as a volunteer assistant coach for a women and junior team in Bratislava, Slovakia. In 2001, she became head coach of a youth team. In 2004, she had her first coaching experience abroad in Lemvig, Denmark and later she moved to Copenhagen. Since then, she has been coaching different age categories (women and men) in Slovakia, Denmark, Austria, Czech Republic, Romania, Germany and France. She also worked with youth and women's National Teams of three countries: Slovakia (2013), Austria (2016, 2017, 2018) and Romania (2018-). She currently coaches Baschet Club Athletic Constanta in Constanta, Romania.

You can contact her at tania.gallova@gmail.com.

Joanne Murphy of Tri Talking Sport is an accomplished international sports announcer, professional event MC and presenter based in Galway, Ireland. With a keen interest in sport, her versatile professional approach to her work coupled with a dynamic engaging style of presenting has seen her work as an announcer across a wide range of events in the sports industry and beyond over the past 10 years. From triathlon to running, cycling to gymnastics Joanne is embedded in sport and in particular in endurance sport in Ireland. In May of this year, she became the first female announcer to present on the IRONMAN World Championship Finish line.

The host of the popular Tri Talking Sport podcast is a keen cyclist and triathlete, she has just completed a 24 hour bike race at Mondello24 as part of the Cycling Ireland Women’s Commission eight person team and quite uniquely raced as part of a team and also was the event MC for the weekend. Working across the sports industry as an announcer, event consultant and marketer she has a wealth of experience amassed since moving across to work in sport fulltime in 2016 after almost 11 years of working as a professional fundraiser in the charity sector in Ireland.

A passionate advocate for women in sport and women in business Joanne walks the walk and talks the talk. A strong believer in giving back to her community, building connections and creating collaborations, Joanne has built her business in sport in a niche, male dominated arena and excelled, all whilst supporting others along the way to follow their passion for sport and adventure whatever that may be.

Find out more about Joanne on www.tritalkingsport.com

Chanda Rigby is entering her 11th season at Troy University in 2022-23. She has built the Trojans into the premier program in the Sun Belt Conference, winning five championships in seven years. Since taking over the program in 2012, Rigby has made Troy a perennial championship, and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament, contender. Rigby’s impressive resume includes seven 20+ win seasons, three Sun Belt Tournament Championships, two Sun Belt Regular Season Titles, three trips to the NCAA Tournament, six postseason appearances, 20 all-conference selections, five Sun Belt Post Season Award winners, a Sun Belt Player of the Year honoree and a Sun Belt Coach of the Year honor.

Before taking over the Trojan program in 2012-13, Rigby spent 12 years at the junior college level. She spent seven seasons at Pensacola State where she coached three Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-Americans as well as one McDonald’s All-American and four National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Americans. She guided the Pirates to a combined 64-6 record over the last two seasons with two trips to the NJCAA Final Four and earned two third-place finishes. Before Pensacola State, Rigby led Holmes Community College to four straight winning seasons and spent one season at National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) member Tabor College where she transformed a last-place team into one of the top teams in the conference. Rigby began her head coaching career at Northwest Rankin High School in Mississippi in 1992 before returning to her home state of Louisiana to coach at Loranger High School from 1996-2000.

Rigby graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University with a bachelor’s degree in English education in 1990 and a master’s degree in secondary education in 1998. She earned her doctorate in higher education leadership from Nova Southeastern University in July of 2017. She is married to Ed Rigby, a high school football head coach and Athletic Director. The couple has two sons, Ramsey and Randon.

Her contact information can be found here: https://troytrojans.com/staff-directory/chanda-rigby/178

Greg Prudhomme just completed his 15th season as the Grand Canyon women’s tennis head coach and 14th season as its men’s tennis head coach in 2021-22.

Since joining the Division I ranks, Prudhomme has had nothing but success for his programs. The women's team were crowned WAC regular-season champions in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021. The men's team were crowned WAC champs in 2016, 2019, and 2021. This past season Dr. Prudhomme guided both of his teams to the Regular Season Conference Titles, the Conference Tournament Championships, and automatic bids into the NCAA National Championships.

Prudhomme has earned a total 8 WAC Coach of the Year honors sweeping both honors in 2019 and 2021 for both men's and women's tennis. Previously he earned coach of the year honors for the men in 2016 and for the women three years in a row from 2015 to 2017.

Along with conference coach of the year honors, Prudhomme has also earned the USTPA National College Coach of the Year as well as the ITA National College Coach of the Year in Division II.

As a Division II program, Prudhomme led the women’s team to the NCAA Championships in his first season despite taking over a team that had only one win the previous season. The women’s team saw a DII national ranking as high as No. 10 in the country under Prudhomme and reached the national tournament four times in seven seasons, including back-to-back trips to nationals in the final two seasons of Division II competition.

The men’s team reached as high as No. 8 nationally in the Division II ranks with a trip to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championships in 2012. The tournament berth was the first since the school reinstated the program for the 2008-09 season. Prudhomme wrapped up the men's five-year existence in Division II with three straight years of winning records and top-25 national finishes.

Prudhomme has been an Elite Certified member of the United States Professional Tennis Association for more than 20 years. Through this organization, he has been awarded the USPTA Coach of the Year for the Southwest Region on five occasions, as well as USPTA Player of the Year on three different occasions. In addition, Prudhomme is also the Head Tester for the USPTA Southwest Division.

Dr. Prudhomme is also a mental performance coach and has worked with numerous professional and college athletes. Some of his previous clients include UFC fighters, boxers, CrossFit athletes, baseball players, soccer players, and more.

The head professional at Paseo Racquet Center in Glendale since the early 1990s, Prudhomme privately has tutored players who have gone on to play at all levels. Because of his accomplishments at Paseo in the tennis industry, the mayor of Glendale presented him with a Proclamation of Recognition.

As a player, Prudhomme held a world ranking from 1994 to 1997 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. As an amateur, Prudhomme was ranked No.1 in the Southwest Region in four different years and reached national rankings of #11 in singles and #5 in doubles. He earned academic honors in the PAC-12 when he played at University of Arizona.

Prudhomme is a graduate of Arizona with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He earned his Master’s degree in Psychology and Doctorate of Philosophy in General Psychology with an emphasis in Performance Psychology at GCU. He and his wife, Mandy, have three children.

His contact information can be found here:

https://gculopes.com/staff-directory/greg-prudhomme/16

Jacqui Hurley is one of Ireland’s leading sports broadcasters. In 2009, she became the first ever female anchor of Sunday Sport on RTE Radio One (https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/sunday-sport/). She presents the daily sports bulletins on RTE news and has extensive experience covering soccer and rugby. She is a former Irish basketball international and also played camogie for Cork. She is also an author, writing two books, "Girls Play Too: Inspiring Stories of Irish Sportswomen" and "Girls Play Too: Book 2- More Inspiring Stories of Irish Sportswomen." She lives in Dublin with her husband Shane and her children, Luke and Lily.

You can purchase "Girls Play Too: Inspiring Stories of Irish Sportswomen" at this link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08GZCWMX3/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1

And "Girls Play Too: Book 2- More Inspiring Stories of Irish Sportswomen" at this link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DR38BLF/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

Dubbed "The Jewish Jordan" by Sports Illustrated in 1999, Tamir Goodman is a former professional basketball player and current successful entrepreneur, coach, educator and motivational speaker. He was ranked the 25th best high school player in the country. He gained national attention after averaging over 35 points per game his junior year, all while remaining faithful to his Orthodox Jewish upbringing. He was named MVP of the prestigious “Capital Classic All-Star Game,” an award won by Shaquille O’Neal, Lebron James and other stars.

He then made history as the first Jewish basketball player to play NCAA Division I college and professional basketball without playing on the Jewish Sabbath. Despite receiving a full scholarship to number-one ranked University of Maryland, he chose to play for NCAA Division I Towson University, as their schedule better accommodated his religious observance. The first freshman to start at Towson in over a decade, he was presented the Coach’s Award for his performance on the court and in the classroom. After the Sports Illustrated article, he was featured on 60 Minutes, ESPN, CNN, Fox and many others. He was covered in The New York Times, The Washington Post and in media sources across the United States, Israel and around the world.

In 2002, he fulfilled his dream of moving to Israel when he was signed by top Israeli and European League basketball team, Maccabi Tel Aviv. Former NBA Coach, David Blatt, was the team’s coach at the time. In 2004, he took a break from playing basketball to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) where he was awarded “Most Outstanding Soldier.” After a seven year long basketball playing career for some of the best Israeli teams including Maccabi Haifa and Givat Shmuel, he retired from professional basketball in 2009 after suffering career ending injuries.

He currently runs a world class summer overnight basketball camp in Jerusalem for players from around the world; leading sports based programming for trips, schools and organizations; in demand Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah clinics featuring special chesed opportunities; and much more. He has coached over 5,000 kids and has run basketball camps and programs across the U.S. with Israeli NBA player, Omri Casspi. 

A sport entrepreneur, he is also the founder of Zone190, a training device being used in the NBA, SportStrings Tzitzit, which provide high-performance sportswear with a certified kosher design that are compression-fit, moisture-wicking, durable and comfortable, and the Aviv Basketball Net, a moisture-wicking and antimicrobial basketball net engineered to dry and clean the ball each time it goes through the hoop. He is the published author of the "The Jewish Jordan's Triple Threat: Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Lessons from the Court," is an international motivational speaker, and a sports and business consultant. He holds a B.A. in communications and lives in Jerusalem with his wife and five kids.

He can be reached at https://www.tamirgoodman.com/. His book can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Jordans-Triple-Threat-Spiritual/dp/1626810540/ 

Betsy Mitchell is a former American competition swimmer who was a world record-holder, world champion, and Olympic gold and silver medalist. She also was a member of the United States' 1994 Rowing World Championship team.

Mitchell represented the United States at two consecutive Olympic Games. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she won a silver medal for her second-place performance in the women's 100-meter backstroke, finishing with a time of 1:02.63. She also earned a gold medal by swimming the backstroke leg for the winning U.S. team in the preliminary heats of the women's 4×100-meter medley relay.

After the 1984 Olympics, Mitchell transferred to the University of Texas at Austin, and swam for the Texas Longhorns swimming and diving team from 1985 to 1988. She won nine NCAA titles, and was a member of the Longhorns NCAA national championship teams in 1986, 1987 and 1988. Mitchell received the Honda Sports Award for Swimming and Diving 1987–88, and was inducted into the Texas Longhorns Hall of Honor in 2000.

She set an American and world record in the 200-meter backstroke at the 1986 World Championship Trials (2:08.60). The world record stood for five years. The American record stood for 19 years. Swimming World Magazine named her as its American Female Swimmer of the Year in 1986.

She again competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. She received a silver medal for swimming the backstroke leg for the second-place U.S. team in the women's 4×100-meter medley relay in the preliminary heats. Individually, she also swam in the final of the women's 100-meter backstroke, finishing fourth in the final with a time of 1:02.71.

She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1998.

Mitchell has a bachelor's and master's degree in education, specializing in sports administration, from the University of Texas at Austin. She also completed a one-year program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, earning a certificate in educational administration, planning and policy.

She started her career as the women's swimming coach at Dartmouth College from 1990 to 1996. She then served from 1997 to 2003 as the director of athletics at Laurel School for Girls in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Mitchell was then the director of athletics and recreation at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania from 2005 to 2011. She is currently the director of athletics, physical education, and recreation at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California.

Jen Croneberger is a former high school and college softball coach, sport entrepreneur and now a widely sought-after 4-time TEDx speaker and thought leader. She speaks and consults in the areas of compassionate leadership and culture change for corporations, schools, organizations and teams all over the country and is the Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer of JLynne Consulting Group, LLC.

Most of her last 15 years have been spent instilling confidence and building deeper connections and awareness.

Her Master’s Degree is in Sports and Performance Psychology and some of Jen’s clients have included professional athletes as well as organizations that include Nike, Procter & Gamble, Lockheed Martin, the US Department of Defense, the NIH and the USDA.

Jen is a “Dare to Lead” Instructor. She holds certifications from the Harvard Business School in Sustainable Business Strategy,  Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University and The Science of Well-Being from Yale University. Jen was selected as a member of the Forbes’ Coaches Council for 2020 and publishes articles on Forbes.com regularly.

She has also been interviewed on six different occasions by Philadelphia’s ABC affiliate, Channel 6 Action News and was selected by the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry as the 2009 Female Business Leader of the Year.

She has a podcast called The Possibility Project and published her first book in 2012, called “These Five Words Are Mine.” You can get a copy here: 

https://www.amazon.com/These-Five-Words-Mine-Conversations/dp/1477296816 

Jen was named “Best of” on Thumbtack based on client reviews for Motivational Speakers in the Philadelphia, PA & Washington, DC Regions for 5 straight years. Her website can be found here: https://teamjlcg.com/

Christian DeVries is the Women’s Soccer Head Coach for Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix, Arizona. He has made a career of coaching having served at the NCAA II, NCAA III and NAIA levels with stops at Spring Hill College (AL), University of Minnesota, Morris (MN), Missouri Valley College (MO), and Adams State College (CO). He has led his teams to six conference championships, as well as coaching 64 All-Conference selections, 96 conference scholar-athletes, 30 regional and national scholar-athletes, three Academic All-Americans and three Conference Players of the Year. His teams have been notable for their success in the classroom as well. Over his career, his teams have earned United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Awards for holding a team grade point average over 3.0 in 18 of his years as a coach. His contact information can be found here: https://legacy.paradisevalley.edu/athletics/athletic-department/staff-directory/christian-devries-0

He also founded AOS- Athlete of Significance to provide scholastic athletes with a roadmap to become a college athlete. AOS is a mindset that an athlete's value to the team extends beyond the X’s and O’s, beyond physical attributes, and beyond winning. The organization's website can be found here: https://www.aossports.com/

In just 5 years, Dre Baldwin went from his high school team's bench to a 9-year professional basketball career. At the same time, Dre built a content publishing empire. Blogging since 2005 and publishing videos to YouTube starting in 2006, Dre has published over 8,000 videos with his content being viewed over 73 million times. Dre's daily Work On Your Game Podcast has over 4 million listeners. Dre has given 4 TEDxTalks and authored 29 books, including “Work On Your Game” and “The Third Day.” A Philadelphia native and Penn State alum, Dre lives in Miami, Florida. His contact information can be found here: https://workonmygame.com/contact32389719

Jennifer Wasson is in her seventh year as the Director of Athletics at St. Mary Academy-Bay View in Providence, Rhode Island. She has extensive experience in the sport industry. After growing up in the Pensacola, Florida area and prepping at Gulf Breeze High School, she was one of the most decorated basketball players in University of Mobile (AL) history, becoming the first 1,000-point scorer in school history (1,303 points). She served at the college level for 23 years for the basketball programs at Faulkner State CC, Western Kentucky University, University of South Alabama, University of South Florida, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Georgetown University, University of Pennsylvania, Troy University, and Providence College. She is an avid Boston Red Sox fan. Her contact information can be found here: https://www.bayviewacademy.org/athletics/staff-directory

Dr. Tim Baghurst is a Professor of Education at Florida State University and the Director of FSU COACH: Interdisciplinary Center for Athletic Coaching. He earned his doctorate in kinesiology from the University of Arkansas and has three additional graduate degrees achieved in three different countries. Tim's research has won numerous awards. His research focuses on coaching education and development, with specific interests in coaching ethics and coach health and well-being. He has had more than 100 peer-reviewed articles published in addition to many book chapters and several books. He has also been awarded research fellow status by SHAPE America. Additionally, he is a competitive racquetball and squash 57 player and has represented England at multiple world and senior world championships.

His contact information can be found here: https://education.fsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/dr-timothy-baghurst

Florida State University’s online master’s degree in Athletic Coaching can be found here: https://education.fsu.edu/athletic-coaching

Conor Meany serves as the Commercial Manager at Basketball Ireland. In this role, he works with existing partners of Basketball Ireland to get the most out of their sponsorship activities to deliver a clear return on investment/return on objective for their businesses. He has significant experience in content marketing, social media and public relations management. He is basketball "lifer," having grown up in a basketball family. He has also been a successful player in the Irish Super League for many years. He recently completed his first book, "Hoops Across the Ocean," which follows the rise and fall of the Irish Basketball team from the 1980s until 2010. With lots of Irish Americans returning to play for Ireland, it was a time of unparalleled success on the court for Ireland. His contact information can be found here: https://ireland.basketball/basketball-Ireland-staff#

Additionally, more on information on his book can be found here: https://www.hoopsacrosstheocean.com/

You can also find his book to purchase at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Hoops-Across-Ocean-Irish-basketball/dp/B09MCF673T

Todd Rutledge is the Assistant Director of Athletic Facilities at Harvard University in Boston, MA, where he is responsible for the day-to-day operation of 20 buildings and 76 acres of Athletic Campus at Harvard University. He has extensive sport management experience working in major events, sport administration, and sport marketing. He has served as an area supervisor for the US Open Tennis Championship in Queen, NY, for Centerplate, Inc. in event hospitality management, as general business manager at the Northeast Delta Dental/Fisher Cat Stadium in Manchester, NH, and as director of operations/project manager at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver, CO. Lastly, he has worked as a venue manager, correspondent, and sports service manager for three Olympic Games (1996, 2000, and 2002).

Todd is a 1994 graduate of the University of North Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education (Concentration: Sports Business Management). He has also earned a Master of Science degree in Sports Management from Southern New Hampshire University in 2016. His contact information can be found here: https://gocrimson.com/staff-directory/todd-rutledge/588

Sara Wegmann is the founder of Her Next Play, a nonprofit that supports leadership and career development for female athletes (https://www.hernextplay.org/). She is a strong believer in the power of sports to develop the next generation of women leaders. Through Her Next Play, she develops and delivers programs to help female athletes translate their athletic skills and experiences into powerful careers.  She has coached hundreds of young leaders as they launched their careers, trained countless teams on career readiness skills, and mentored many young athletes.

Sara has extensive experience in talent development from top companies such as Deloitte, Target, and Merrill Lynch, and is Co-President of the career development company CareerPrep. Sara was a Captain, MVP and All Conference Varsity soccer player at Lawrence University and now plays competitive tennis.  She has a B.A. in Psychology from Lawrence University and an MBA in Human Resources from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

Dr. Ken Reed is Sports Policy Director for the League of Fans and the author of How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan and Ego vs. Soul in Sports: Essays on Sport at Its Best and Worst. His latest book is The Sports Reformers: Working to Make the World of Sports a Better Place. He is a long-time sports marketing consultant, sports studies instructor, sports issues analyst, columnist and author. As an adjunct faculty member at several institutions, Reed has taught a variety of sports studies courses, including Contemporary Sports Issues, History of Sports, Sports Marketing and Communication, Sports Ethics, Sports Governance, Sports Sociology, and Sports Management.

Reed has long been a strong advocate for quality physical education and sports programs for all students, not just elite athletes. He created the Center for the Advancement of Physical Education (CAPE) for PE4life, a non-profit organization dedicated to making quality daily physical education available to all students, K-12. He has delivered a variety of professional development seminars to educators on how physical education, sports, and other forms of physical activity can improve academic performance, decrease behavioral problems and enhance student wellness.

Reed also has served as an executive board member and faculty fellow for the National Institute for Sports Reform, as well as on the board of directors for Positive Coaching, a non-profit whose mission is to promote positive attitudes and behaviors in youth sports. In addition, Reed has served as an advisory board member for Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Sports Industry Operations program.

In addition to How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan Reed has published a sports novel targeting girls, 10-14, called Sara’s Big Challenge. The book’s overarching theme is the importance of being true to yourself. He also has published a book on Phil Lawler, the “father of the new physical education,” entitled Game Changer: Phil Lawler’s Wellness-Based Physical Education.

Reed has been a regular sports issues columnist for several sports magazines and a freelance contributor to multiple publications, including the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune. He currently blogs on sports issues for the Huffington Post.

Reed holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver (marketing/finance), a master’s degree in management from Colorado State University (concentration in athletic administration), and a doctorate in sport administration (emphasis in sport policy) from the University of Northern Colorado. Reed lettered in baseball and basketball at the University of Denver and has worn many hats in the world of sports, including coach, referee, scout, administrator, event planner, marketing and communications consultant, strategic planner and sports talk show host. His contact information can be found here: https://www.leagueoffans.org/about-us/

Named a “Woman to Watch” by Washingtonian Magazine, Cydni Bickerstaff is Vice President of Operations for GREATER MSP. In this role, Cydni is responsible for guiding the financial, human resources, organizational development, information technologies, and resource development function of the organization.

Cydni is a visionary, entrepreneurial leader, offering progressive experience driving and scaling high-profile operations, marketing, and event portfolios. Cydni brings operations expertise from her leadership with the 2019 Minneapolis Final Four Local Organizing Committee where she served as the Vice President of Event Operations.

Prior to relocating to Minnesota, Cydni used her innate knowledge of event operations, marketing and sponsorship development to found and build a successful company, The Bickerstaff Group (TBG). TBG was a full-service agency, specializing in inventing, developing and executing sensational events for organizations around the country.

Cydni earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Hampton University and earned a master’s degree in Marketing from Florida A&M University. She lives in Plymouth, Minnesota with her husband Calvin and their two young daughters. Her contact information can be found here: https://bit.ly/3ozTTnl

Dr. Ed Garrett has 30 years of experience in the sport industry. He spent time with the Colorado Rockies, 1996 Summer Olympics, and multiple years as a club, high school and college coach. He has also been an athletic director and currently serves as an Associate Professor in the Sport, Recreation and Fitness Management academic program at California Baptist University in Riverside, CA. He is also the Program Coordinator for the Bachelors in Sport and Performance Psychology Program. Additionally, he is a practicing sport and performance psychology professional who works with several of the teams at California Baptist. He is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC®) with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). His contact information can be found here: https://www.cbuonline.edu/ops/facultydetails/86.

Melissa Stockwell is an Army veteran with an incredible story. After losing her left leg in Iraq in active combat in 2004, she quickly adapted into a life of sports and went on to swim in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics before turning to the sport of triathlon in 2009. She is a 3x Paratriathlon World Champion and bronze medalist from the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Melissa loves giving back to the multisport community and is the co-founder of the Chicago-based Dare2tri Paratriathlon club where she helps get other athletes with disabilities into the sport of triathlon. More on Melissa here: https://www.teamusa.org/usa-triathlon/athletes/melissa-stockwell

Dr. Dexter Davis has extensive experience in the sport coaching and sport management field. After coaching college soccer for a number of years, he made the transition to sport management teaching and has not looked back. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee at Martin. Davis is earned his undergraduate degree at Houghton College in Houghton, New York, his graduate degree at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, and his doctoral degree at the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama. Through his networking, he has helped provide countless students to gain valuable experience in the world of professional sporting events management, working at events such as the Super Bowl, Major League Baseball's spring training, and NASCAR events. You can find his contact information here: https://www.utm.edu/departments/cbga/faculty_staff/mmciis_faculty/ddavis.php

Dr. Matthew Raidbard is a graduate of Indiana University. His first college basketball coaching job was at Western New Mexico University, where he also completed a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership. After leaving Western New Mexico, he served as a men’s basketball coach at Dartmouth College, Florida Gulf Coast University, and Chicago State University. While working at Chicago State, he completed his Doctorate in Educational Leadership, with his dissertation focusing on determining the best leadership style and behaviors for athletic coaches to practice. 

From his dissertation research, he realized that coaches at all levels of sports were being asked to take on increased leadership responsibilities for their athletes and team without sufficient opportunities to receive leadership education and training. His research also uncovered that a significant gap existed between the leadership style and behaviors that athletic coaches thought they were practicing and the ones they were actually practicing. These findings were the inspiration for his book, “Lead Like A Pro,” where he provides coaches with foundational leadership knowledge and the tools to practice the best leadership style and behaviors that align with their personal values and beliefs. During his last two years at Chicago State, he transitioned into athletics administration, and most recently served as the Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director for Administration, Compliance, and Student-Athlete Success at the University of Hartford.

You can find his book at the following link:

https://www.amazon.com/Lead-Like-Pro-Effective-Leadership/dp/1645434109/ref=asc_df_1645434109/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=533426126876&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9202148673484374570&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9020754&hvtargid=pla-1395427165118&psc=1

You can also find his contact information here:

https://www.raidbardleadership.com/

A native of Healdton, Oklahoma, Sherri Coale had a long, successful career as the head women’s basketball coach at the University of Oklahoma where she is the winningest coach in school history. Her Sooner teams appeared in 19 straight NCAA tournaments and competed in three Final Fours. Before that, she coached at Norman High School from 1990-1996. Additionally, she also participated in USA Basketball as an assistant coach in 2001 where the squad won a bronze medal, and as head coach in the World University Games in 2013 where her USA squad defeated Russia on their home court to bring home the gold. In addition to competitive excellence inside the lines both nationally and internationally, she has received numerous accolades and recognitions for her players’ performance academically as well as their team community service through the years. Maximizing her players’ skills both on and off the court has always been her goal.

She played at Oklahoma Christian University, graduating in 1987. Coale is a master motivator, an engaging speaker, a gifted writer, and a keen observer of everyday life.  She and her husband, Dane, have been married for 34 years.  They have two children, one daughter-in-law, and one adorable granddaughter around which their universe currently spins. 

Her blog can be found here: https://www.sherricoale.com/

Craig Kennedy serves as the assistant athletic director and head men's basketball coach at NCAA Division II Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL. He is a 38-year coaching and teaching veteran who has coached at Troy University, Georgia Southern University, Auburn University and the University of Winnipeg. Kennedy holds a Bachelor of Education in American History from the University of Winnipeg and a Master of Science in Sports Management from Troy. He is the father of two children who both received full academic scholarships to college. His information can found here: https://shcbadgers.com/staff-directory/craig-kennedy/57

Jenny Coady serves as the women's team performance and well-being coach for West Ham United in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League in London, England.

Having played as a guard in basketball for Ireland and WIT Wildcats, Coady has worked with UK Coaching since August 2018, helping to support coaches across 13 high-performance Olympic sports on their respective journeys. Prior to her position with UK Coaching, Coady worked with the London Gaelic Athletic Association as the lead performance analyst. She is also accredited with the Irish Institute of Sport as a performance analyst. 

You can contact Jenny on Twitter at @jennycoady10.

Joe Niland serves as the athletic director at NCAA Division II Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL. He was the head men's basketball coach at University of Mobile for 20 years, winning 347 games there (most all-time at UM) after serving as head coach at Spring Hill from 1993-1999, where he is the second winningest coach all-time (127-60). He won four conference titles as a head college coach and led his 2004 Mobile team to the NAIA Final Four. He also served as Mobile's athletic director for 11 years, overseeing 18 varsity athletics programs. He has a wealth of experience as an assistant coach at both the high school and college ranks, as well, and was twice named court coach for USA Basketball U18 National Team Training Camp. 

He is a native of western New York and comes from a family of basketball coaches. His father, the late Joe Sr., coached at Canisius College from 1947-54 and was later an NBA scout with the Buffalo Braves. His brother, Dave, is head coach at Penn State-Behrend College, while his uncle, the late Tom Niland, was coach and AD for many years at LeMoyne College. His cousin is John Beilein, the head coach of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and at Erie C.C., Nazareth College, LeMoyne College, Canisius, Richmond, West Virginia, and Michigan. 

His contact information can be found here: https://shcbadgers.com/staff-directory/joe-niland/122

Keri Alexander Luchowski serves as the Executive Director of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), one of the leading conferences in NCAA Division III. She has served in this role since 2011 and has filled assistant and associate executive director positions since she joined the league during the 1999-00 academic year. A 1992 graduate of Wheeling Jesuit University, she served three years as the communications coordinator of the National Professional Soccer League before joining the NCAC. Alexander Luchowski is a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), Division III Commissioners Association (DIIICA), the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA) and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), as well as the Women Leaders in College Sport. While earning her undergraduate degree at Wheeling Jesuit, she played for the women’s soccer team for four years, twice earning Academic All-America honors and once garnering WVIAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She also earned a master’s degree in sports administration from Kent State University. Alexander Luchowski is a Cleveland-area native and graduated from Notre Dame Academy. Her contact information can be found here: https://www.northcoast.org/inside_ncac/Luchowski?view=bio

Michael Carpenter has served as Director of Development at Uncommon Sports Group (USG) since July 2018 and oversees all professional development, strengths training, scholarship funding, and domestic service projects. Prior to joining USG, Carpenter served four seasons as a student manager for the University of Virginia men’s basketball program from 2010-14 while receiving his B.S. in politics-foreign affairs. He then made stops at D.C. United, Wake Forest University, Texas A&M University, and Liberty University, each in a variety of development roles. He earned his master's in higher education (athletic administration) from the University of Oklahoma in 2015. He can be reached at mikey@uncommonsg.org.

Lindsay Peat is an Ireland women's rugby union international. Peat represented Ireland at the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup. Peat is an all-round sportswoman. In addition to representing Ireland at women's rugby union, she has also played for the Republic of Ireland women's national soccer team at U-18 level, captained the Ireland women's national basketball team, and played senior Ladies' Gaelic football for Dublin. Between 2009 and 2014, she played in three All-Ireland finals. She was a member of the Dublin team that won the All-Ireland title in 2010 and she scored two goals in the 2014 final. 

Dr. Jesse Godding currently serves at Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) in Waxahachie, Texas in the roles of Associate Professor and Director of Athletics. Academically, he teaches courses in Physical Education and Business Sports Management. As Director of Athletics, Godding oversees an athletic program consisting of 15 sports competing in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) and nationally affiliated with the National Athletic Intercollegiate Association (NAIA) and National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). During his tenure as Director of Athletics at SAGU, the institution has added 8 sports, seen a 100% growth in the number of athletes on the campus, and demonstrated continued improvement in athletic and academic excellence.

He currently serves as Central Region Coordinator for the NCCAA which includes being a member of the NCCAA National Administrative Council. At the NAIA level, he functions as a member of the National Administrative Council, Athletic Director liaison for NAIA football, and is a member of the NAIA Athletic Directors Association Board of Directors.

Godding was the head football coach for SAGU from 2002 to 2014, winning a conference championship and conference Coach of the Year honors in 2013. From 2012 to 2014 he served as a National Rater for football and was President of the Central States Football League from 2010-2017.

Godding holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Biblical Studies and Social Sciences/Secondary Education from Crown College, St. Bonifacius, MN, a Master of Arts in Teaching with an emphasis in Health, Physical Education & Recreation from Northern State University, Aberdeen, SD, and is an Ed.D. in Sports Management from United States Sports Academy, Daphne, AL. You can find his contact information here: https://www.sagu.edu/directory/staff/athletics-staff/office-staff/jesse-godding.

Katie Pate is the Senior Associate Athletics Director/External Operations at NCAA Division I Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. She has had an extensive career that has taken her from the sidelines to the press box and the classroom. Prior to Longwood, Pate gained nearly two decades of experience in college athletics, including time as a head coach and assistant coach, director of marketing and promotions, and as a professor of athletics business and marketing. Her coaching experience spans both the NCAA Division I and II levels, while her marketing acumen was honed at the NCAA Division I level and her teaching expertise covered numerous courses in athletics business, marketing and leadership. As the leader of Longwood’s external relations unit, Pate oversees the coordination and strategic planning of the athletics department’s most public-facing units including alumni relations, communications, game operations, marketing and promotions, and ticketing. Those offices make up one of four primary units of Longwood athletics administration alongside the business operations, communications, and student-athlete enhancement teams.

Pate earned Bachelor of Science in exercise science and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish degrees from Coker College, a master’s degree in business administration from Webster University, and a leadership certificate from the Columbia University Center for Coaching Excellence. She also has professional memberships in the Women’s Basketball Coaching Association, National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators and National Association of Collegiate Women’s Athletic Administrators. You can find her contact information here: https://longwoodlancers.com/staff-directory/katie-pate/284

Gareth Maguire is the founder of Ulster Elks Basketball Club and the co-founder and CEO of the Sport Changes Life Foundation. He has been at the forefront of the Sport Changes Life movement since the pilot of the Victory Scholar Program in Ulster University in 2007. The idea of bringing elite scholar athletes from the United States to earn a graduate degree and at the same time work in the local community and raise the aspirations of young people in sport, all while playing the sport they love, came from Maguire, Professor Deirdre Brennan at the Ulster University, and International business man, Mark Marais. Maguire has led the way with his vision to help develop basketball and change the lives of young people of Ireland through sport developing EHOOPS Programs and Sports Programs with his wife Deirdre. He is also a former National League player in Ireland and played on the Irish National Team during his playing career. You can learn more about Sport Changes Life here: https://sportchangeslife.com/about-us/

Dave Love began his career working with youth players in his hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 2001. His first college client came in 2005, his first job with a college team in 2006, and his first NBA job with the Phoenix Suns in 2009. All told, Coach Love has worked for 3 different NBA teams (PHX, CLE, ORL) as well as multiple agencies, national federations, and youth programs around the world. He has become a trusted teacher for players that need help improving their shooting. He is committed to helping players, parents and coaches of all levels, from all over the world improve their shooting. Coach Love runs clinics all over the world, exposing youth players to the details and habits that NBA players have worked on to unlock their potential. His website is https://www.coachdavelove.com/.

Izzy Carnwath is the Director of Brand, Marketing and Communications for the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF), a democratic body founded to organize and drive the development of MMA on a global basis. Having previously served as an interim board member of the United Kingdom Mixed Martial Arts Federation (UKMMAF), contributing in the areas of project planning, administration and funding, Izzy has worked in several roles for IMMAF, first joining the team in 2013. She has also been involved in the administrative management of Safe MMA, a voluntary medical project dedicated to the safety of mixed martial artists in the UK since the organisation’s inception in 2012. Her email is isobel.carnwath@immaf.org and the IMMAF website can found at www.immaf.org.

Kelly Kratz serves as the Lead Trainer for New Trainer Development for the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), an organization that has grown from a small, local non-profit to a strong, national organization hosting thousands of workshops every year, and partnering with some of the largest organizations, pro sports teams, and national governing bodies. As a catalyst for a positive youth sports culture, PCA provides research-based training and resources for coaches, parents, athletes, and leaders to ensure a positive youth development experience for ALL kids, in all communities across the U.S., through sports.

She became a workshop trainer for PCA in 2009 in the Philadelphia area. In 2014, she became the National Lead Trainer in charge of New Trainer Development. Kelly currently teaches the PCA Trainer Training Course to all new Candidates.

Kelly was a three sport high school athlete, an NCAA Division I field hockey, track and field, and lacrosse player at St. Joseph's University, an NCAA Division II college basketball coach, high school lacrosse & basketball coach and a "Double-Goal Coach" to her kids in youth soccer & lacrosse. In addition, Kelly was a third grade teacher in the Methacton (PA) School District before joining PCA and has a Master's Degree in Guidance and Counseling. She is still very active in sports and enjoys hiking, skiing, volleyball, biking, running, yoga and spending quality family time with her husband and 4 children in Northern Chester County Pennsylvania. You can find Kelly's contact information here: https://positivecoach.org/team/kratz-kelly/.