The managing director of the Office of Communications and Marketing at Texas Tech University, Chris Cook discussed the path, through sports, that led him to his post with Harper Anderson in January 2017. Work ethic, relationship-building, Cook’s work with the Cotton Bowl and favorite stories from his days as the Associate AD of Athletics Communication highlight their session.

Professor and Chair of the Texas Tech Kinesiology and Sport Management Department, Dr. Angela Lumpkin, stepped into the Coffee Pod to visit with Harper Anderson in November 2016. They discussed her career path, sport ethics and her view of the current collegiate athletics landscape. An articulate voice in favor of finding a way to pay student-athletes counterpoints well with our previous conversation with Texas Tech’s Dr. Brian Shannon on the same topic.

Justin Paysinger, Associate Director of Leadership Development at NCAA, talked about some of the leadership and development programs that he works to bring to all NCAA member institutions in this podcast with Harper Anderson on September 1, 2016, beginning with his personal journey to his current position.

Felicia Martin, Associate Athletics Director for Academic Services at Texas Tech, dropped by the podcast center and visited with Harper Anderson on April 26, 2016. The pair discussed services provided to Texas Tech student-athletes through the Marsha Sharp Center and on various NCAA, Big 12 and university programs that support DI college student-athletes.

Dr. Calvin Nite, Texas Tech Assistant Professor of Sport Management (Kinesiology Department) joined graduate student, Harper Anderson, on May 12, 2016, to discuss his thoughts on the pay-for-play issue in collegiate athletics and on the NCAA as an institution.

Dr. Brian Shannon, Texas Tech Athletics Faculty Athletics Representative, FAR, joined graduate student, Harper Anderson, on April 15, 2016 for the first episode of the Coffee Pod to discuss Dr. Shannon's journey to the position he currently holds, athletics governance and the collegiate athletics landscape, including the hot-topic, pay for play of student-athletes.