Born and raised in Jackson, MS, Sonja Stamps' passion for sports ignited at the tender age of five, influenced by her close bond with her father and a few years later, for her admiration for pioneering sports broadcaster Jayne Kennedy. As a self-proclaimed "daddy's girl," Sonja was inspired by Jayne's groundbreaking achievements as one of the first female sports broadcasters and the first African American woman in that role.

This inspiration led Sonja to pursue her Masters in Sports Administration, from Belhaven University. Sonja was a part of Belhaven’s Sports Administration charter class (Class of 2014) and from there, she established "She Say, She Say Sports Podcast," a platform offering a unique perspective on sports from a woman's point of view. The platform highlights women and men’s involvement in sports, both as participants and coaches, aiming to provide insightful commentary and coverage.

Some of Sonja's podcast guest have included: Mahmoud Abdul Rauf, AKA Chris Jackson, 2X NBA Champion Lindsey Hunter, 2X WNBA Champion Yolanda Moore, Fred Smoot, Audie Norris, Terry Cummings, Lewis Tillman, Olympians Savante’ Stringfellow and Bianca Knight and the list goes on. Sonja feels that being able to Interview some of her sport heroes, is a deeply rewarding experience that combines personal excitement with professional responsibility. Sonja also feels being able to engage with athletes she’s long admired, offers unique insights into their journeys, challenges, and achievements.

Sonja and She Say, She Say Sports, exemplifies a deep commitment to community engagement through various impactful initiatives. Beyond her sports media platform, she actively contributes to societal well-being by organizing events such as Shelter Beats: A Day Party with a Purpose for the unhoused, book bag giveaways, and voter registration drives.

Beyond her work in sports media, Sonja is a professional singer and has a band called Sonja Stamps, featuring Love’s Groove. Sonja also was a star performer for the 2011 NBA Champions, Dallas Mavericks for 14 seasons, singing the National Anthem. 

Through "She Say, She Say Sports," Sonja continues to break barriers and amplify women's voices in the sports industry, providing a platform that celebrates and discusses women's roles and achievements in sports.

Join us on A Chat in the Garden with Monique A. J. Smith. Listen to our guest’s career path, her advice for others & current initiatives...A Chat in the Garden with Monique A.J. Smith, where Significance Blooms. Listen via Spreaker, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music/Audible, or www.chatinthegarden.com. This is Season 12. Seasons 1 - 11 can be found on 200plus.expert.

Courtney Washington was named Associate Athletic Director for Compliance at Chicago State University on November 1, 2024.

She comes to Chicago State after serving as the Associate Athletic Director of Compliance and Senior Woman Administrator at Shaw University where she oversaw compliance operations, guiding coaches and staff in navigating NCAA, CIAA, and institutional regulations. She is an experienced athletic compliance professional with a comprehensive background in NCAA rules, eligibility certification, and student-athlete support with previous stops at Texas A&M Commerce, Alcorn State, Memphis, Delta State and Auburn University at Montgomery.

Washington plays a crucial role in coordinating with admissions, financial aid, and the registrar’s office to ensure student-athlete eligibility and financial aid compliance. She is skilled in policy implementation, budget management, and strategic planning.

A native of Cleveland, Miss., Washington holds a Bachelor's Degree in Public Policy from the University of Mississippi and a Master of Education in Sport Management from Auburn University at Montgomery. Washington is also a member of the National Association for Athletics Compliance & National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals. She is an avid writer and researcher.

Join us on A Chat in the Garden with Monique A. J. Smith. Listen to our guest’s career path, her advice for others & current initiatives...A Chat in the Garden with Monique A.J. Smith, where Significance Blooms. Listen via Spreaker, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music/Audible, or www.chatinthegarden.com. This is Season 12. Seasons 1 - 11 can be found on 200plus.expert.

Dr. Fachaitte (fuh-shay) Kinslow is a senior athletics administrator, compliance leader, and
former counselor with more than two decades of experience advancing equity, academic success,
and holistic development for student-athletes. Raised on a multigenerational farm in Dover,
Oklahoma, she brings a values-driven, service-oriented leadership approach shaped by family
legacy, education, and faith.

Dr. Kinslow currently serves as Associate Director of Athletics, Senior Woman Leader, and
Compliance Administrator at Texas A&M University–Texarkana. In this role, she oversees
athletics compliance and governance, conducts rules education for coaches and staff, coordinates
required departmental reporting, and supports Title IX, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Her responsibilities also include sport supervision, student-athlete welfare, academic
coordination, drug testing administration, departmental budgeting support, professional
development programming, and assisting the Athletic Director with strategic operations.

Before her current appointment, Dr. Kinslow served in senior athletics leadership roles at an
Langston University, where she led compliance operations, academic advising, and department-
wide initiatives supporting women in sports and student-athlete success. Earlier in her career, she
worked extensively as a school and collegiate counselor and therapist, providing academic
advising, mental health services, and substance abuse counseling across K–12, junior college,
and higher education settings. These experiences deeply informed her leadership philosophy and
commitment to student-athlete well-being.

Dr. Kinslow’s early career included sports marketing and media internships, including work with
the University of Oklahoma. While serving as an academic counselor at the junior college level,
she identified systemic barriers preventing student-athletes from progressing academically. In
response, she helped design and implement structured advising and monitoring programs that
improved graduation rates and clarified academic pathways for athletes.

Building on this work, she founded Winning Edge, a sports consulting initiative focused on
academic preparedness, leadership development, mental toughness, and career assessment for
student-athletes and their families. The program emphasized early intervention, parent education,
and long-term planning—principles that continue to shape her administrative leadership today.

At the national level, Dr. Kinslow is widely engaged in intercollegiate athletics governance and
leadership development. She serves as the inaugural Chair of the NAIA Senior Woman
Leaders Association, a member of the NAIA National Administrative Council, and has held
leadership or advisory roles with the NAIA RISE (Respect, Inclusivity, Support, Education)
initiative, the Learning Disabilities Advisory Committee, and multiple compliance-focused
committees. She is also the founder of the conference-wide initiative “We Belong Here:
Celebrating Women in Sports,” which promotes visibility, equity, and leadership opportunities
for women in athletics.

In 2025, Dr. Kinslow earned her Doctor of Education in Sports Management (Leadership
Concentration) from the United States Sports University. Her scholarship examines leadership
accountability, institutional responsibility, and the lived experiences of student-athletes within
intercollegiate athletics. She is a graduate of the MOAA Rising Star Program and a recipient of
numerous national honors, scholarships, and leadership recognitions.

A breast cancer survivor who has navigated significant personal loss, Dr. Kinslow brings
empathy, resilience, and authenticity to her leadership. Outside of work, she enjoys writing,
reading, watching football, basketball, and baseball, and spending time with her family on the
farm. She grounds her leadership in faith and purpose, guided by Jeremiah 29:11, and believes
effective leadership is defined not by position alone, but by stewardship, preparation, and the
ability to create space for others to thrive.

Join us on A Chat in the Garden with Monique A. J. Smith. Listen to our guest’s career path, her advice for others & current initiatives...A Chat in the Garden with Monique A.J. Smith, where Significance Blooms. Listen via Spreaker, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music/Audible, or www.chatinthegarden.com. This is Season 12. Seasons 1 - 11 can be found on 200plus.expert.

Dr. Tara M. Collins is a Retired United States Navy Chief Petty Officer. She has over 20 years’
experience in the sports industry. Her experience began as a command football & basketball
coach, then evolved into becoming an agent advisor. Dr. Collins’s educational background
includes an earned PhD in Business Administration with a concentration in Sports Management
and Leadership (Northcentral University). She researched and defended her dissertation titled
“Understanding the Psychological Journeys of African-American Football Players from High
School to the NFL and the Player-Agent Relationship”. In addition, she has a Master of Science
in Sports Management (American Military University) and Master of Business Administration
(Columbia Southern University). Along with a Bachelor of Business Administration and two
Associate degrees.

Since retiring from the Navy, Dr. Collins has emerged herself even more into the industry by
exploring research topics involving sports agents, college programs, NFL quarterbacks, and
sports & society.

Dr. Collins is an Adjunct Professor at Grand Canyon University, Southern New Hampshire
University, and Holy Family University teaching in the Sport Management programs. She has
transitioned into the position of Athletic Consulting with Discovery Sports Management, LLC.
Dr. Collins, in junction with Discovery Sports Management, LLC will be launching ‘The
Gameplan’ in a few months from now. Finally, Dr. Collins is the proud mother of a Navy Sailor,
Ty and Texas Southern University graduate Troy, who is a Special Education Teacher.

This episode is a replay from Season 8. Sonja Stills, MEAC Commissioner, joined Monique A. J. Smith for A Chat in the Garden.

Join us on A Chat in the Garden with Monique A. J. Smith. Listen to our guest’s career path, her advice for others & current initiatives...A Chat in the Garden with Monique A.J. Smith, where Significance Blooms. Listen via Spreaker, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music/Audible, or www.chatinthegarden.com. This is Season 12. Seasons 1 - 11 can be found on 200plus.expert.

This episode is a replay from Season 7. Kimberly Davis, National Hockey League Executive, joined Monique A. J. Smith for A Chat in the Garden.

Join us on A Chat in the Garden with Monique A. J. Smith. Listen to our guest’s career path, her advice for others & current initiatives...A Chat in the Garden with Monique A.J. Smith, where Significance Blooms. Listen via Spreaker, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music/Audible, or www.chatinthegarden.com. This is Season 12. Seasons 1 - 11 can be found on 200plus.expert.

Alfreda Hagans-Sanchez is the Assistant Director of Compliance at Duke University. She recently joined the Blue Devil family in December of 2023. Prior to Duke, Alfreda had stops at SFA as the Director of Compliance & Risk Mitigation, The University of North Carolina Greensboro, Virginia Commonwealth University and Longwood University.

Alfreda has spent over a decade in Division I college athletics as a former multi-sport Track and Field and Cross-Country athlete, NCAA Compliance Administrator and Track and Field and Cross-Country coach. She graduated from Campbell University with a degree in Business Administration in Accounting and later graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a master’s degree in Sport Leadership.

Join us on A Chat in the Garden with Monique A. J. Smith. Listen to our guest’s career path, her advice for others & current initiatives...A Chat in the Garden with Monique A.J. Smith, where Significance Blooms. Listen via Spreaker, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music/Audible, or www.chatinthegarden.com. This is Season 12. Seasons 1 - 11 can be found on 200plus.expert.

Ruby A. Jackson is a scientist and a creative.  A native of Chester, Pennsylvania, Ruby is a former track and field athlete, coach, and Seton Hall University graduate with a B.S. in Biochemistry. Ruby holds coaching certifications as a USATF Level 2 Coach and a USAW Level 1 Coach.  She has traveled to India to coach track and field, providing Long Term Athletic Development Plans for athletes.  One of the athletes Coach Ruby worked with went on to represent her country in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games.  Ruby resides in North Carolina, and has shifted from coaching to media.  She is the founder of RunWell Media, LLC.  A media company that helps women leaders in sport build purpose driven brands through photography and videography services.  

Join us on A Chat in the Garden with Monique A. J. Smith. Listen to our guest’s career path, her advice for others & current initiatives...A Chat in the Garden with Monique A.J. Smith, where Significance Blooms. Listen via Spreaker, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music/Audible, or www.chatinthegarden.com. This is Season 12. Seasons 1 - 11 can be found on 200plus.expert.

Dr. Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Cincinnati where she is also an affiliate of the Africana Studies and Women’s, Gender, Sexuality Studies programs. Dr. Brown is a Black feminist, interdisciplinary scholar who researches the lived realities of Blackgirlwomen in sport, media, education, and girlhood.

Dr. Brown’s academic scholarship can be found in outlets including the Sociology of Sport Journal, Communication & Sport, Girlhood Studies, and Race & Social Problems. Her first book, Say Her Name; Centering Black Feminism and Black Women in Sport (March 2025) is the first Black feminist text in the Rutgers University Press series on Critical Issues in Sport.

In addition to her academic scholarship, Dr. Brown also has an active public presence, including writing freelance articles for First & Pen, and engaging actively on social media platforms including BlueSky, Instagram, and Threads.

Join us on A Chat in the Garden with Monique A. J. Smith. Listen to our guest’s career path, her advice for others & current initiatives...A Chat in the Garden with Monique A.J. Smith, where Significance Blooms. Listen via Spreaker, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music/Audible, or www.chatinthegarden.com. This is Season 12. Seasons 1 - 11 can be found on 200plus.expert.

This episode is a replay from Season 10. Natalie Graves, Founder NAT Sports Directory & Natalie Graves Athletic Counseling LLC and Author, joins Monique A. J. Smith for A Chat in the Garden.

Join us on A Chat in the Garden with Monique A. J. Smith. Listen to our guest’s career path, her advice for others & current initiatives...A Chat in the Garden with Monique A.J. Smith, where Significance Blooms. Listen via Spreaker, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music/Audible, or www.chatinthegarden.com. This is Season 12. Seasons 1 - 11 can be found on 200plus.expert.