One Question Leadership Podcast

Dr. Monique Marsh-Bell, Clinical Psychologist and Asst. AD for Mental Health Services at Baylor University, visits @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Leadership Podcast to discuss the services she provides to Baylor's Student-Athletes. Dr. Marsh-Bell was as a counselor on campus prior to joining the athletics department. She begins by explaining the difference between sport vs. clinical psychologist and...

Tommy McClelland, AD at Louisiana Tech, talks about his Louisiana Tech Athletics Leadership Institute. Open to everyone in the department other than senior level staff or head coaches, the program begins with an aptitude test designed by the school's Industrial Psychology department. It also includes a $10k (provided by a donor) challenge for designing a program that helps to address mental health...

Lonn Reisman, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics at Tarleton State University, talks with @TaiMBrown about the school's transition from NCAA Division II to Division I. Reisman has been at Tarleton State for 26 years, spending the first 24 as the Head Men's Basketball Coach. He touches on the move from NAIA, to Division II, and the almost 20 year exploration into moving to NCAA Division I...

Jamie Pollard, AD at Iowa State, visits with @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast on the topic of creating an environment where people feel valued. Pollard talks about his process of helping new hires embrace the culture at Iowa State athletics. He goes into detail about his very intentional efforts to get to know everyone who is in his department. Pollard also give insight into his 'Athletic Dire...

Kentucky State's Etienne Thomas joins @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast on a number of topics ranging from working in compliance to hiring a football coach. With a little over a year in the AD chair, Thomas talks about the people and inflection points which helped moved her career forward. She mentions working for veteran leaders, such as Dr. Ingrid Wicker McCree and Tom Bowen, who gave her res...

Coach Glenn Caruso, Head Football Coach at University of St. Thomas (MN), visits the 1.Question Podcast on the topic of coaching amidst all the changes happening within the athletics program. He talks about the culture of habits and how focusing on the season is a habit that hasn't been broken within the football program. Caruso also heaps praise on VP & Director of Athletics, Phil Esten, on how h...

Carrie Cecil, CEO of Anachel Communications & SM2, visits 1Q to share insight on how ADs, Presidents, Coaches, and other executives manage some of the biggest reputation and career crises seen today. She talks about winning the narrative in terms of controlling what information is out in the public. Cecil also addresses the biggest threats to college athletics leaders and what needs to be in place...

Armani Dawkins, Sr. Associate AD & Chief of Staff at Oklahoma, visits 1Q to talk about being hired to help enhance the culture at a department that, from the outside looking in, seems to always operate at a high level. Dawkins talks about the trait of vulnerability that leaders such as Joe Castiglione possess, and how a part of the her role is to point out blind spots in the department or even in...

Jessica Gelman, CEO of the Kraft Analytics Group (KAGR), visits @TaiMBrown on the topic of using data analytics in college athletics. Gelman gives insight on the services KAGR provides to Mississippi State and the importance of understanding who and how often people attend games. She wraps the conversation on the human relations aspect of being a leader in data analytics.

Coach Gary Goff, Head Football Coach at Valdosta State, visits the 1.Question Podcast to discuss the organizational approach he used to turn around the football program at Tiffin, which was ranked 165 out of 168 in NCAA Division II when he arrived. He follows that by explaining the approach he is using now as he takes over at Valdosta State, which was the NCAA Division II national champion last ye...

Tom Burman, Director of Athletics at University of Wyoming, visits the 1.Question Podcast on the topic of creating a successful organizational culture. Burman discusses an ADs feelings a few years after hiring a successful coach and the unique hiring process he used for his current basketball coach. The conversation also touches on expectations and sharing leadership advice with coaches on staff.

Devon Thomas, Sr. Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs at Eastern Washington, visits @TaiMBrown and the 1.Question Podcast on the topics of tying previous experiences together and the challenges faced during career growth. Thomas talks about his experience in marketing and the innovative ways he and his crew would test upcoming promotions. The conversation wraps on the topic of delega...

Rick George, Athletics Director at University of Colorado, visits @TaiMBrown on 1Q to discuss the weight of tradition. George was on the football staff when Colorado won the National Championship in the early 90's and talks about the importance of understanding the expectations that a successful history can bring. He also talks about the importance of expecting success when bringing on new coaches...

Samantha Huge, Director of Athletics at William & Mary, stops by the 1.Question Podcast to visit with @TaiMBrown on the topic of making major changes to her staff over her two and a half years leading the department. She talks about her charge from the president for athletics to help raise the profile of the institution. Huge also discusses some of the books she gives to the staff as she emphasize...

Tommy McClelland, Athletics Director at Louisiana Tech, talks with @TaiMBrown about taking on a leadership role at a young age. McClelland was named interim AD at McNeese State at 25 years old, and named the permanent leader at 26. He talks about some of the challenges that come with being in an influential role at that age, such as experience and being perceived as immature. McClelland also touch...

Beth Goetz, Director of Athletics at Ball State, joins @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast to discuss the process of searching for and hiring a Deputy AD. Goetz discusses her recent hire of Haven Fields and how she had to redefine the position prior to developing the profile of the person to fill the position.

Craig Pintens, Athletics Director at Loyola Marymount University, visits  @TaiMBrown on the 1.Question Podcast on the topic of coach evaluations. Pintens includes each sport's national ranking metric as an evaluating factor as opposed to just wins and losses. Recruit, teach, win, and graduate are the four pillars of the evaluation focus with winning being the quantitative measure. 

Bloom where you are planted is the focus of this quick clip from the 1Q cutting room floor. Dr. Mónica Lebrón, Deputy AD & COO at Tulane, talks about changing jobs just as she was making waves in her previous role at Georgia.

Lamarr Pottinger, Assistant AD at Texas Tech, visits @TaiMBrown to discuss how the Red Raiders focus on career and professional development for Student-Athletes and staff. Pottinger describes the unique setup at the Talkington Leadership Academy where the emphasis of career and leadership development includes options for department personnel, as well as Student-Athletes. He also covers the ongoing...

Jen Baker, Sr. Associate Director of Athletics at Johns Hopkins University, visits @TaiMBrown on the topic of consulting for leadership development. Baker moonlights as a leadership development consultant for other athletics departments, corporations, and coaches. Emphasizing that leadership must be practiced, she helps coaches define what it is they want their Student-Athletes to learn during the...

Craig Ricks, Sr. Vice President for Marketing at Paciolan, visits  @TaiMBrown and the 1.Question Podcast on the topic of diminishing game day attendance in college athletics. Ricks, who has been with the company for 16 years, talks about Paciolan's use of data, social media, and digital marketing campaigns to customize and personalize the experience of fans and potential fans. He gives insight int...

Gerald Harrison, Director of Athletics at Austin Peay State University, sits down with @TaiMBrown to discuss adjusting to the AD job. Harrison, 10 months on the job, talks about his acclimatization to leadership as an Athletics Director. He talks about his process of self-evaluation and his method of release after long workdays. Harrison also addresses his reputation of telling people "exactly wha...

Coach Molly Miller, Head Women's Basketball Coach at Drury University, talks with @TaiMBrown on the topic of avoiding complacency as a winner. Miller, the 2019 WBCA D2 Coach of the Year, talks about explaining the expectations her Student-Athletes can expect from her. With the highest winning percentage of all active NCAA coaches, she also discusses the pressure of expectations when you've won a l...

Dr. Jamil Northcutt, VP for Player Engagement with Major League Soccer, visits @TaiMBrown to discuss how the league engages with intercollegiate athletics. Northcutt, former executive with the NFL and NCAA brings his vast experience and network to MLS to develop its player development program. With a heavy focus on three core groups, future players, current players, and past players, Northcutt emp...

Akilah Laster, Assistant Director for Athletic Communications at Cal, visits @TaiMBrown to discuss  a wide range of topics from knowing how and when to speak up at the office to the importance of storytelling in athletics. Laster, a former high school teacher and journalist, says people need to know you care about what you are doing before they are willing to receive your input. She also notes wha...