Invisible Women In Sport

Today’s guest is Consandria Walker-Hall.  Walker-Hall is the Head Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track and Field Coach at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston).  She was just named the 2018 NCAA Women’s Division III National Coach of the Year in her sport.  Walker-Hall also works as an adjunct professor at Fisher College.  A native of Jamaica, Walker-Hall briefly describes her migration to America, the culture shock, and how sport helped her adjust to a new life.      Walker-Hall learned early in life, from grandmother, mother, aunts and Jamaican heritage, that a woman can do anything.  Hired as the head coach right out of college, Walker-Hall talks about the struggles of being a young coach and a black female.  At one point in her career, she talks about trying to change herself to be accepted, but later she realized that it is nothing wrong with her. Walker-Hall is a mother and coach achieving at a high level with a insufficient budget compared to her Division I and II counterparts.  He

Today’s guest is Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak.  Sahaydak is the Head Women’s Soccer Coach at the University of Central Florida.  As a youth, Sahaydak had an obsession of performing in the Olympics and winning gold medals.  Her dreams came true, as she was a member of the 1996 USA Women’s Soccer Team that took gold in Atlanta.  Her parents were strong role models and supporters in her quest to be an elite athlete, however, with her mother being from the Philippines, women in sports was a new experience for her mother.  Sahaydak talks about her struggles with questioning her athletic abilities and feeling like she did not “belong” on the USA Women’s National Team.  Her coaches, teammates, and supporters confirmed her “belonging” on the field and later encouraged her to go into coaching.  Coaching has been a dream come true for Sahaydak and an opportunity to encourage and confirm for other women that they “belong.”  Hear her story. Produced by the Institute For Sport & Social Justice (ISSJ). Hosted by Mat Edelso

Today’s guest is Reshauna Cobb.  Cobb is the Director of Academic and Membership Affairs with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).  As a youth, she was on the first team from the South to compete in national double-dutch jump roping tours and competitions.  Her father was her first role model and a surrogate dad and role model to many of her teammates and childhood friends.  Cobb’s journey with collegiate athletics began as an athletic trainer at Clemson University.  Here is where Cobb really begin to understand the intricacies of how an organization functions and that experience has helped her excel in her career. Cobb does not shy away from sharing her opinions about NCAA policies and legislation.  She discusses concerns about “Bylaw 14,” which establishes academic eligibility, concerns about how NCAA legislation can impact different socioeconomic communities, and the NCAA’s challenge to legislate issues on amateurism and social media usage.  As a “seasoned” professional, Cobb feels compelle

Today’s guest is Peggy Davis.  Davis is the Director of Athletics at Virginia State University.  From as early as childhood, playing basketball in the streets with the boys, Davis was destined to have a strong influence and impact in the world of college athletics.  During her years as a collegiate basketball player, Davis learned that constructive criticism should not be taken as a personal attack, but as an opportunity or a tool for achieving excellence.  Hear how Davis “invested in her career” by commuting three hours round trip to pursue an advance degree or why she turned down a conference commissioner position.  Davis has a passion for mentoring student-athletes and aiding them in achieving their goals.  She offers sound advice on the importance of developing good listening skills, how to always make a positive impact, why dressing appropriately is extremely important, and how to deal with intense challenges as a woman of color.  “It’s not enough to be in the room.  You need to be seen and heard. . .” 

Today’s guest is Etienne Thomas.  Thomas is the Associate Athletics Director of Student Life at the University of Kansas. Her unique story in the world of athletics did not begin in a gym or on a field.  Thomas has a law background and her first connection with athletics was as a volunteer trainer at North Carolina Central University.  Thomas has a passion for diversity and inclusion. She shares her experiences of confronting prejudice and bias as early as elementary school, helping people come to the realization that their unconscious bias is real and how it can be addressed moving forward, and how Kansas Athletics positively practices diversity and inclusion for staff and student-athletes. Thomas chronicles the mentors and supporters that have helped shape her career and daily provide her with feedback, love, and balance.  Clearly, the center of her strength is family and the cohort of women mentors and supporters that “fit” comfortably in her life.  Hear Etienne Thomas’ story. Produced by the Institute For

Today’s guest is Jacqie McWilliams.  McWilliams is Commissioner of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) the oldest Historical Black College & University (HBCU) athletic conference in the country.  McWilliams’ family background is rooted in military disciplines, which allowed her to become a dual sport NCAA champion and rise to become the leader of the CIAA during a time when the conference was nearly in three-quarters of a million-dollar deficit.  Spiritually focused, McWilliams’ perseverance, humility, organization skills, and resilience helped her revive the CIAA into a strong revenue generating and proud alumni focused conference.     McWilliams shares her stories about her dream job, how she addresses her fears, and how she has been successful in the face of divorce, health issues, and being a single mother. She has an acronym on FOCUS that you do not want to miss.  Hear Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams’ story. Produced by the Institute For Sport & Social Justice (ISSJ). Hosted by

Today’s guest is Christina Roybal.  Christina is the Senior Associate Athletics Director for Sports Administration and Senior Woman Administrator at the University of Northern Iowa.  As a first generation, Latina college graduate, Christina shares experiences about overcoming family criticism about her career choice to now being a role model for the younger generation in her family. Family, as a wife and mother, has not always been readily acceptable by her superiors.  In some of her professional roles, Christina has had to strategically balance how to talk about and introduce her family to her colleagues while preserving their confidence that she will have the time and focus to do her job. Christina also shares her struggles with dealing with Latino stereotypes, female stereotypes, racial slurs, and being offered positions no one wants.  Early in her career, Christina found herself concerned about saying “no” to requests and projects because she feared that would hinder her ability to advance as a woman.  He

Amy Huchthausen is in her seventh year as Commissioner of the America East Conference.  Amy shares with us the experience of being an pioneer for Asian-American woman in collegiate athletic administration. Rarely is she in the room with other Asian-American women athletic administrators or coaches.  Many times in her career, she has been overlooked and it is not uncommon for her to correct stereotypes and remind people that she is “The Commissioner.” Amy discusses the pathways that women of color are commonly and consistently led to pursue are pathways of compliance, academic services, and life skills.  This cycle creates barriers for women to advance in senior level management positions because they lack revenue-generating experience.        Hosted by Mat Edelson, journalist and producer appearing on NPR, ABC, ESPN, and in Houghton-Mifflin’s annual series, “The Best American Sports Writing.”  “See Us Now – Invisible Women In Sport”

Today’s guest is Delise O’Meally, Executive Director, Institute For Sport & Social Justice (ISSJ).  Delise is excited to introduce the inspiration and creation of this new podcast sponsored and produced by the ISSJ. Delise gives us a glimpse into her story of being a woman of color trying to climb the ladder of success as an athletic administrator.  Her unique story starts with growing up in Jamaica, moving to the big city of New York, on to college as a collegiate tennis player, a young professional with the NCAA, and currently as Executive Director of a national non-profit organization.    This interview is hosted by Mat Edelson, journalist and producer appearing on NPR, ABC, ESPN, and in Houghton-Mifflin’s annual series, “The Best American Sports Writing.” “See Us Now – Invisible Women In Sport”