Leadership Summit Recap

On Wednesday, December 7th the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference held its first-ever Leadership Summit, presented by the Student-Athlete Advisory Council. The event, held at Blackburn College, welcomed student-athletes and administrative staff from league members. The day included guest speakers, as well as table breakouts, and interactive ice breakers for the student-athletes.

The day began with icebreaker questions and then welcomed guest speaker Danielle Doerfler, Director of Athletics at Fontbonne University. Danielle spoke on being your True-Self and the importance of being vulnerable and trustworthy and how those ideals factor into being a leader. 

After a short break student-athletes participated in an interactive ice-breaker, a relay race that appealed to the student-athletes natural competitive nature. The day continued with lunch provided to all attendees before concluding with the final two guest speakers.

Dr. Angie Morenz, Professor of Physical Education and Sport Management, was the next speaker and featured an interactive presentation. Student-Athletes broke out into table groups to talk about strengths, weaknesses, and what good and bad leaders look like, and realized that there are many different leadership styles. 

The final speaker of the day was John Mark Watson, author of 'Creating a Joyous Story'. During the talk, he spoke on being an everyday leader in all aspects of life and bringing joy into the equation while recognizing that there are many various ways to be a leader. 

The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) is a committee of student-athletes that serves as a communication link between the conference member student-athletes and the athletics administration of the SLIAC member institutions. SAAC members are expected to represent the viewpoints of student-athletes on their respective campuses and to serve as a vital communication link between the Conference and its student-athletes. 

SAAC members also look to enhance the image of student-athletes both on campus and in the community through engaging in campus and community service projects and serving as positive role models for their peers and younger athletes. The committee also serves as a voice for issues that involve rules, regulations, and policies that affect student-athletes. 

For more information on joining your campus SAAC group reach out to your campus advisor. 

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