The AthleticDirectorU Podcast

AthleticDirectorU presents a football head coaches roundtable focused on the topic of staff development. Head coaches Kevin Sumlin of Arizona, Glenn Caruso of University of St. Thomas (MN), Lance Leipold of Buffalo, and Mark Farley of Northern Iowa join Josh Hoeg, Offensive Coordinator at Stevenson University, to discuss the nuances of leading a football program, while simultaneously developing those who are being led. The insights provided go far beyond coaching football.

Athletic Directors, Sherryta Freeman of Lafayette and Martin Newton of Samford, join Zach Maurides, Founder and CEO of Teamworks, for a conversation centered on leveraging skills developed as a former athlete in their current roles leading an entire athletic department. Freeman and Newton discuss how they channel their competitive nature, advice they give to administrators who didn't play college sports, and advice to student-athletes who want to work in the business.

TCU Deputy Athletics Director, Mike Sinquefield, provides insight on his leadership style. Going from support positions such as Equipment Manager and Director of Football Operations, Sinquefield still sees himself as a leader who is on campus to support and serve coaches and Student-Athletes. He also goes into his process of helping current TCU AD Jeremiah Donati adjust to his role leading the department.

With a very insightful discussion on talent and its inherent influence on culture and vice versa, AthleticDirectorU hosts a conversation featuring Ryan Hawk of The Learning Leader Podcast, Mark French the brains behind The Players Tribune, Jacqueline Williams-Roll who is the Chief HR Officer with General Mills, and Laura Juras, the VP of People & Culture at the Minnesota Vikings. This group talks about important aspects of creating an excellent culture, cultivating talent, learning from your career path, and much more.

NCAA Executive VP for Regulatory Affairs, Stan Wilcox, visits with AthleticDirectorU on the nature of his current position and gives his thoughts on managing the wide array of challenges that face college athletics. He also provides a brief overview of the decision making structure within the NCAA.

Bob Bowlsby, Commissioner of the Big-12 Conference, joins fellow college athletics leader, Jeff Hathaway in a discussion for AthleticDirectorU on the evolving landscape of college athletics. Bowlsby gives his thoughts on a number of topics from making final decisions as the leader to amateurism in college athletics. The two also dive into their thoughts on attendance to live events.

Directors of Athletics, Keri Becker of Grand Valley State and Anthony Azama of Washington University of St. Louis, sit down with Shamaree Brown, Director of Student-Athlete Programs & Compliance at the ACC, to discuss taking over a successful athletics department. Moderated by Brown, Becker and Azama talk about the pressures of living up to winning expectations, establishing a new vision as a leader, evolving as a leader, and measuring success in the chair.

Developing and executing a strategic plan for an athletics department is one of the most important tasks an Athletics Director can undertake because of its importance in laying a foundation for the future success of the organization. Washington State's Director of Athletics, Pat Chun, and Sr. Associate AD for Sports Administration, Bryan Blair, give AthleticDirectorU an inside look to some of the processes they've undertaken as they develop and implement a strategic plan for Cougar Athletics.

Men's Basketball Assistant Coaches Duane Simpkins of George Mason, Donny Guerinoni of Harvard, and Chris Capko of Southern Cal get together with Chad Chatlos of Ventura Partners and AthleticDirectorU to cover issues facing college basketball. The trio provides their thoughts on the FBI investigation, the Rice Commission's recommendations, professional development as an assistant coach, and the head coaching search process.