SLIAC Hosts Women's Leadership in Athletics Symposium

ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) hosted a Women’s Leadership in Athletics Symposium on November 9-10 at the Doubletree Hotel and Conference Center in Chesterfield, Mo.  The Symposium, made possible through the NCAA Strategic Initiative Grant that Division III conferences receive annually, was the end result of 11-months of planning by female administrators throughout the conference.

Over 50 female student-athletes with interest in athletic administration, coaching or fields related to athletics from eight Conference schools attended this event that was designed to give the young women insight into opportunities available to them and some tools to assist in their pursuit of these opportunities.

Following team building activities on Friday, Saturday kicked-off with a Keynote Address from Shannon Myers, the Director of Membership & Educational Programming for the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA).

“We could not have asked for a better start to this event than Shannon’s inspiring words to the student-athletes.  From watching the young ladies listen to her address, to the comments I heard during the day and the comments on the post-symposium evaluation, Shannon set the tone for the day’s events,” SLIAC Commissioner William J. Wolper, said.  “Having been in their position not too long ago, combined with her experience within athletics as a player and administrator, her professional experience outside athletics and the enthusiasm with which she spoke, she really connected with the student-athletes.”

Following the Keynote Address was a career opportunities panel that included two sessions – one with individuals within athletics covering administration, coaching, facilities, operations, athletic training and sports information; and the second with individuals working in fields associated with athletics including broadcasting, marketing, sport sociology, sports management and teaching.  All student-athletes heard from both panels.

Next were the career services professionals that worked with the student-athletes on applying and interviewing for jobs, including resume and cover letter development.  That was followed by a leadership inventory, “What Color is Your Brain” that was designed provide student-athletes the knowledge of their own personality and tools of how to work with other personalities.

Student-athletes then heard from a number of administrators from the Conference about mentors, their experiences with mentors, the importance of a mentor, how to build the relationship and find a mentor.  To close the Symposium, Myers was joined by Presidents Tori Murden-McClure of Spalding University and Miriam Pride of Blackburn College to talk about working in a man’s world.  The trio shared their experiences of advancing within leadership roles in a male dominated culture.

Members of the planning committee whose efforts Wolper pointed out were Angie Morenz, the senior woman administrator at Blackburn College who took the lead in developing the Symposium and rallied colleagues to join her; Maria Eftink, director of athletics/senior woman administrator at Fontbonne University; Tenequa Martin, senior woman administrator/softball coach at Greenville College; Samantha Burmeister, senior woman administrator/softball coach at MacMurray College; Mary Ann Sprague, associate director of athletics/senior woman administrator/volleyball coach at Principia College; Lisa Bash-DeFrees, senior woman administrator at Spalding University; Merry Graf, senior woman administrator/volleyball coach at Webster University; Kristen Ely, assistant director of athletics/senior woman administrator/volleyball coach at Westminster College; Sabrena Lary, assistant athletic trainer at Westminster; former SLIAC intern Alysha Hodge, currently the sports information director at Westminster, and current SLIAC intern Kathryn Leetch.

“It was great to see 11-months of hard work by these individuals payoff so well.  I cannot praise nor thank them enough for their efforts.  In addition to planning, they recruited a great pool of student-athletes to attend and benefit from the programming,” Wolper said.  “I look forward to working with them again to plan a similar, or identical, Symposium in a couple years to reach another group of student-athletes.”

Among the comments the Conference received from student-athletes that attended:

Kaitlyn Peter, Fontbonne University, Senior, Golf
“I enjoyed the SLIAC Women's Leadership in Athletics Symposium this past weekend. It was such a great opportunity to meet some amazing women and gain such valuable knowledge of this incredibly competitive industry. I feel so very fortunate to have been a part of it.   I can't fully express how much [the planning committee’s hard work] was appreciated. I very much hope you will continue to have events like this in the future.” 

Amanda Muehlberg, Greenville College, Freshman, Volleyball/Track & Field
“I feel like I learned a lot of information in a little amount of time at the symposium. I feel more motivated and inspired than ever before to be an effective leader in all aspects of my life, and now I have the tools and techniques to do just that. I cannot express how thankful and grateful I am that this event was available to me because it has really helped find women to aspire to be like.”

Callie Howard, Spalding University, Sophomore, Softball/Volleyball
“I thought the symposium was VERY beneficial and FUN.  I learned many things from the resume section that I did not know.  The symposium actually made me feel better about my career choice.  It made me realize I am making the right decisions in my life so far and if I'm not, it's okay to make mistakes. “

Kathleen Kennedy, Webster University, Sophomore, Tennis
“The 2012 symposium was a great experience. I have built relationships that will last a lifetime. It was nice to get to know and build relationships with other girls in my conference. It has given me the confidence to pursue my dreams and goals.”