One Question Leadership Podcast

With both the University of California and the University of Virginia looking for a new Athletic Director, 1.Q checks back in with former Boston College/Villanova Athletic Director and current Turnkey Search Managing Director Gene DeFilippo. DeFilippo provides insight on how candidates who may have a profile that's attractive for two concurrent openings should proceed transparently. DeFilippo also...

Contributing host Tai Brown caught up with Ken Kavanagh, Athletic Director at Florida Gulf Coast University, at the 2017 NACDA Convention. Kavanagh discusses the advice he gives his sons who want to work in sports business and also insight given to those who currently work for him as they consider career progression.

In Part II of Monmouth Athletic Director Marilyn McNeil's 1.Q, the Hawks' boss dives into if athletic directors can be too involved off their own campuses with added leadership roles. McNeil reflects on a number of high-profile opportunities she took on (NCAA, NACWAA, FCS) with the ancillary benefit of raising the profile of the university. However, she knew when it was time to pull back & spend m...

Monmouth Athletic Director Marilyn McNeil talks head coach communication and if her style changes with coaches who are having significant competitive success versus others who may not be winning as regularly. McNeil also expounds on the organic and supportive nature of all her head coaches with each other, including day-to-day examples of how Hawks coaches interact and how such a culture can be bu...

Sean Frazier, Athletic Director at Northern Illinois University, sits down with 1.Q contributing host Tai Brown at the 2017 NACDA Convention. Frazier discusses his early beginnings as a football coach and how/why he made the transition to administration. Frazier also touches on his time working for Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez.

Scott Corley, Director of Athletics at Belmont University, reflects on his first year at Belmont and how his corporate lending background and overall involvement with the institution helped land him the job.

Contributing 1.Q host Tai Brown visited with Dan Satter, Deputy Director of Athletics at Boston University, during the 2017 NACDA Convention. Satter discusses the transition of working for a multimedia rights holder as an Assistant GM, to working with them as an employee of an athletics department. He also compares working at a hockey powerhouse that doesn't have football with his previous role at...

We hear more from the San Jose Mercury News' Jon Wilner in this episode, specifically regarding his personal shift from the College Hotline to the Pac-12 Hotline, and his thoughts on changes in the media marketplace. Wilner notes the depth of coverage he intends to push for the entire league, what mediums he'll leverage, possible storylines,and why/how the Hotline may be the first effort of its ki...

Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News was scheduled to discuss his new effort, the Pac-12 Hotline, with D1.ticker. Then, news broke that Cal AD Michael Williams would not seek a new contract in Berkeley. So, the conversation shifted to the leadership dynamics surrounding the Golden Bears. Wilner noted the institution's history of taking its time on administrative hires, discussed the continued f...

Contributing host Tai Brown visits with Michael Alford, Central Michigan's new AD. Alford discusses the similarities of different areas in revenue generation including sponsorship and development. He also touches on how his time working for "sports heavyweights" led to his current role.

Contributing host Tai Brown visits with Samford University AD Martin Newton about improving on the success of his predecessor, shuffling offices to identify team players, and using his marketing background to tell the Bulldogs' story. Says Newton, "Things that get measured get done!" 

Contributing host Tai Brown visits with Arizona State Athletic Director Ray Anderson on his unique professional experiences prior to leading the Sun Devils. The pair also discuss the value of Anderson's NFL background for current football student-athletes in Tempe, hires Anderson made from outside college athletics, why adding sports to his overall portfolio is a priority, and more. 

How many sitting ADs can you name who have served as an Interim AD three different times before sitting in the chair permanently? Jacksonville State University's athletic director Greg Seitz fits the bill and joins 1.Q to discuss how his interim experiences helped him realize he could head an entire department. Seitz also notes the numerous senior staffers who have helped lead the Gamecocks for th...

In this 1.Q, University of Pittsburgh Athletic Director Heather Lyke covers the importance of young administrators being intentional about who they work for, what can be learned in the process, and how the decision can impact career trajectory. Lyke reflects back to her time at Michigan when current Denver Athletic Director Peg Bradley-Doppes was a senior leader for the Wolverines and a champion o...

TCU AD Chris Del Conte chats with 1.Q contributing host Tai Brown on fitting the mold of an executive, dressing for the job you want, but at the same time being true to yourself. Del Conte admits there was a point in his career he tried to operate according to a stereotype & as a byproduct negatively impacted his performance. Further, Del Conte notes a number of peers he's learned from - like Nort...

In Part II of his 1.Q interview, Learfield Licensing Partners Vice President of Omnichannel Commerce Chad Phillips shares the trends he will be looking for during the upcoming NCAA football season, and reveals the key to online/digital merchandise and apparel sales. He also touches on the growing presence of Fanatics and Amazon, traditional retailers' efforts to keep pace, and macro trends to watc...

Chad Phillips, Vice President of Omnichannel Commerce at Learfield Licensing Partners, talks with D1.ticker about Nike and the NBA's decision to create four uniform "editions" per team, and considers whether or not the trend will filter down to college hoops. Phillips also offers perspective on NBA jersey sales versus metrics for the collegiate space, how throwback jerseys are currently a big buy...

Continuing the conversation with @SportsTVRatings creator Robert Seidman, today's topics include predictions of which pro sports properties ESPN will ante up for next rights cycle, the increased year-round presence of the NBA, the potential of ESPNU transitioning to the ACC Network linear play, and more. 

Enjoy a good long listen today with @SportsTVRatings creator Robert Seidman, who has a long history of tracking trends in the sports and greater TV marketplace. Seidman shares his thoughts on the specific metric college athletics administrators should be focused on as it relates to the ever-evolving story of ESPN, key TV advertising insights, and the current value of live sports.

New USC Upstate AD Julio Freire offers insight on how he builds relationships with his head coaches during the early days of a tenure, a process that includes being present at as many practices and games as possible. Freire also shares his thoughts on whether there's such a thing as over-communication between an AD/sport administrator and a head coach, and the importance of making sure head coache...

Contributing 1.Q host Tai Brown connected with North Texas AD Wren Baker at NACDA 2017 and spoke with him about his philosophy on the future of fundraising. Baker is bullish on aspiring administrators who have experience managing an annual fund, and an understanding of how to utilize a database to target fundraising strategies to different donor segments. Said Baker, "In my mind, a time will come...

Contributing 1.Q host Tai Brown starts his conversation with Northern Iowa AD David Harris with an interesting question: "How much did you stick to your original first 90-day plan once you actually began as a new AD?" Listen as Harris shares his thoughts on the need for flexibility, meeting as many key donors as possible, and doing a lot of listening. Harris also shares his "non-negotiables", whic...

In today's episode, we head to Eastern Michigan, where AD Scott Wetherbee shares insights on how the search in Ypsilanti wrapped up - he was in church when he received the news. Wetherbee also touches on how he'll keep in touch with the Eagles senior team during his transition period, what his initial to-do list looks like, and what he learned from Mississippi State AD John Cohen on how to effecti...

In this episode, Contributing 1.Question Host Tai Brown chats with Delaware AD Chrissi Rawak, who shares her thoughts on the value of experiential learning, and looking outside the industry for examples of how execute in a more effective manner. Rawak also talks about re-reading 'Playing to Win', co-authored by former Proctor & Gamble CEO AJ Lafley, as she enters her second year with the Blue Hens...

Contributing 1.Question Host @TaiMBrown caught up with St. John's University Athletics Director Anton Goff at the 2017 NACDA Convention. The two discuss Goff's rise from working in Student-Athlete Development to sitting in the AD chair. Goff touches on his process of connecting with the development office to tell the Student-Athlete experience story to donors. That move along with others helped le...