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Author:  NACWAA

April 10, 2014

The madness of March has come to an end as basketball season officially wraps up and another WBCA National Convention is in the books. The NACWAA team was thrilled to continue our partnership with the WBCA this year, and had a great time connecting with members, coaches, and supporters in Nashville.

As an extension of our Directors of Operations Circle, we were honored to participate in the “Tips & Tricks: The Role of the Director of Basketball Operations and How to Manage It All” session organized by NACWAA member Katie Capps, Director of Basketball Operations at the University of Kansas. Panelists Vanessa Fuchs, Senior Associate Athletic Director/SWA at Florida State (pictured far left) and Kathy Harston, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Women’s Sports Programs at the University of Texas (pictured far right), and moderator Shannon Myers, Director of Membership Engagement at NACWAA (pictured center), shared their insights on preparing for what lies ahead and how to advance on from the DOBO role to position yourself for a future in administration. Key takeaways from the session:

• Be the very best at what you do,
• Understand how your skills transfer,
• Create and communicate your goals,
• Become visibly immersed in the department,
• Stop networking and start relating.

Monday, April 7 was the long-standing tradition of the Women of Experience Brunch presented by NACWAA and the Women’s Sports Foundation. This event is always a unique experience where the past and present of women’s intercollegiate athletics gather for reminiscing, fellowship and fun. Those experienced administrators in the room were able to share their wisdom with those currently working in college athletics. A few pieces of advice:

• Be credentialed in what you do,
• Find a mentor,
• Be a leader and believe in what you do,
• Include family and friends in what you do, and
• Include other women in your circle of friends, invite them to attend.

Continuing the leadership theme, NACWAA hosted the session, “Broaden Your Impact: Winning and Leadership on the Court and Beyond” with panelists Jody Conradt, Retired Women’s Basketball Coach and Special Assistant at the University of Texas (pictured center), Debbie Corum, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/SWA at the University of Connecticut (pictured second from right), Dawn Staley, Head Women’s Basketball Coach, University of South Carolina (pictured second from left), Holly Warlick, Head Women’s Basketball Coach at the University of Tennessee (pictured far right), and moderated by Patti Phillips, CEO of NACWAA (pictured far left).

Panelists discussed with coaches in attendance the foundations of great leadership including:

• Character: Who surrounds you? Who is influencing your behaviors?
• Trust: Are you a person that can be trusted? By your team, administrators, faculty and others?
• Accountability: Do you have the confidence and character to hold yourself and others accountable?
• Authenticity: Have you taken a personal inventory; can you state your values? Are you real and genuine?
• Communication: Are you a consistent, positive, and truthful communicator?

Lastly, NACWAA was excited to partner with the WBCA in the re-launch of the Whiteboard Initiative on Tuesday, April 8. This program goes beyond X's and O's to provide women's basketball coaches with professional education and personal growth opportunities. NACWAA supports the development of coaches and will continue to work with our administrators on how they can support and assist their coaches in participating and hosting this program.

It was such a great trip to Nashville. We always love seeing our members and building on those connections. We look forward to our growing partnership with the WBCA and an increasing presence at the WBCA National Convention. See you in Tampa in 2015! 

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