Haven Fields Sr. is constantly looking to get better. That's what I took out of this conversation. From the great ADs he's worked for like Troy Dannen, Beth Goetz and Josh Whitman, to his personal board of directors, Fields has clearly paid attention as he continues his path to the AD chair. Haven talks about what he's learned from those ADs and how he consumes and stores insights to keep learning about the industry. He is led by his faith and talks about why it's important for him and his family to find the right fit anywhere he's been in his career as he wants to be part of the community. I asked Haven what it's like being a competitive person on the pursuit of the first AD job and how to still be happy for your industry colleagues when they get opportunities, too.

• 0:00 Introduction
• 2:00 Proud Nebraska Initiatives
• 4:27 AD Vantage - Where Victory Is Vetted
• 5:45 Learning from Great Athletic Directors
• 11:00 How Haven Learns & Consumes Information
• 14:55 Onrise - Mental Health for College Athletes
• 16:30 Decision Process for Job Opportunities
• 21:06 Tactical Strategy - How Do You Keep Notes/Materials for Future AD Chair
• 24:32 Working with Very Different Budgets Throughout Career
• 28:30 Competitive Nature of Pursuing First Athletic Director Job
• 31:50 Haven's Podcast and Book Recommendations

AD Vantage empowers athletic directors with comprehensive staff data, performance analytics, and AI-powered candidate insights to make smarter hiring, compensation, and retention decisions in an era where every dollar counts. Learn more: ⁠https://www.athleticdirectorvantage.com⁠

Onrise provides complete mental health Coverage for your Athletes. One call. Same-day setup. Your athletes get immediate access to peer support from retired pros, licensed clinicians, and 24/7 crisis care. Less than one in-house FTE. No hiring hassles. No initiative fatigue. Learn more: ⁠https://onrise.care⁠