One Question Leadership Podcast

Dr. Ed Scott, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Morgan State, visits @1QLeadership to talk about his process in deciding to take the AD job. Scott covers common misconceptions about working at HBCUs, early wins in his tenure in the chair, and being creative in finding resources. Growing the number of athletics sponsors by over 500% and recruiting top staffers to his department are some of t...

Ron Seaver, President of the National Sports Forum (NSF), visits with @1QLeadership guest host Blair about the NSF and its growing relevance over 26 years in existence. Seaver gives an overview of the purpose of the event including its emphasis on increasing diversity in the sports industry. The conversation also focuses on the NSF's four pillars of revenue generation and its emphasis on networkin...

Angel Mason, Director of Athletics at Berry College, visits @1QLeadership on the topic of listening to oneself. Mason talks about the transition from coaching basketball to working in administration. She mentions making decisions based on values and how finding an organization that aligns with those values can make leadership less challenging. The conversation wraps on navigating strategic plannin...

LSU Director of Student-Athlete Mental Health and Interim Senior Advisor to the AD for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Dr. LaKeitha Poole visits @1QLeadership . In a conversation ranging from her role advising the Athletics Director on DEI to helping Student-Athletes deal with the challenges of the starts and stops of the 2020 football season, Poole talks about filling what could possibly be thr...

Washington State Deputy AD Bryan Blair steps in as a guest host for  @1QLeadership interviewing NCAA Director of Leadership Development DeeDee Merritt. Discussing the new NCAA Leadership Collective, Merritt gives insight on its structure and its relevance in taking away the "lack of qualified candidates" excuse regarding people of color and leadership roles in coaching and administration. She also...

Pepperdine President & CEO, Jim Gash, visits @1QLeadership on the topic of evolving leadership. Gash explains that his style of leadership begins with relationships. From relationships things become collaborative. Collaboration gives way deliberation, and from there, decisions are made. As a former college quarterback, Gash gives insight on the necessity of calling audibles when leading. The conve...

Natasha Wilson, VP for Student Life and Athletics at Central Methodist University (CMU), stopped by @1QLeadership  to discuss leading two crucial departments on campus. On a campus where Student-Athletes make up half the student body, Wilson works closely with institutional advancement and alumni affairs to provide the best experience to all students. She also acknowledges the learning curve when...

RPI football coach Ralph Isernia visits  @1QLeadership to talk about culture. With a simple definition of "The way of life of a group," Isernia delves into his thoughts on organizational success rooted in culture. He talks about focusing on what is important in the moment. The conversation wraps with his motivation to learn for self-actualization.

Head Football Coaches Danny Rocco of Delaware, and Glenn Caruso of University of St. Thomas (MN) visit  @1QLeadership to talk about playing a football season during the Spring. The two veteran coaches talk about providing balance to the football players during the Fall while preparing for the upcoming season. The conversation goes into leaning on values to deal with the starts and stops that will...

Harvard Director of Athletics, Erin McDermott, visits @1QLeadership about her virtual adventure leading the Crimson. McDermott talks about the challenge of developing relationships and trust in a virtual environment as she has only been on campus three times since being hired. One method of breaking the ice with the staff was to discuss her first pandemic grocery list (wine, chocolate, etc.). The...

Ohio State Sr. VP & AD, Gene Smith, visits the @1QLeadership school of thought to give insight on building the credibility needed to weather the storms and transitions that come with working in college athletics. He talks about the department's performance development program that helped fellow industry leaders Lyke, Jarmond, and Chun among others rise to executive positions. Smith also confirms t...

Love, listen, and lead are the three expectations that Colgate AD, Dr. Nicki Moore, consider the roots of her leadership philosophy. In her visit with  @1QLeadership , she talks about the importance of giving people the authority to do the job they were hired to do. She also talks about her experiences while working with industry leaders, Castiglione and Cunningham. With psychology as the backdrop...

Columbia's Jessica De Palo, Associate AD for Enrichment Services, talks to @1QLeadership about the thought process behind creating the Success Through Well-Being group within the athletics department. The group includes mental health, nutrition, and academic services among others to centralize the conversations on possible crossover areas that tie-in the Student-Athlete experience. De Palo also ta...

Psychological Resources for Oklahoma Student-Athletes or PROS is the name of the department where Dr. Dolores Christensen holds the Assistant Director position. Christensen visited @1QLeadership to talk about the structure of the department and the mental health services provided. The PROS department was the first of its kind to be housed in an athletics department. Christensen also serves as chai...

Juliana Smith, Deputy Director of Athletics/SWA at Colgate, visits @1QLeadership to discuss her background in human resources and how it relates to her current role in the department. She talks about her history working with AD Nicki Moore at Oklahoma and also gives insight into her method of evaluating information to make effective decisions. The conversation wraps on how the department and campu...

Torre Becton, Head Athletic Performance Coach for Football at Cal, visits  @1QLeadership  to follow-up on his recent 1Q episode now that the Pac-12 Conference has reversed its initial decision to cancel the 2020 football season. Becton talks about the transition in training and mentality after the announcement. He mentions the internal conversation that took place after the Big-10 announced its de...

Kevin Hambly, Head Volleyball Coach at Stanford, visits  @1QLeadership to talk about some of the challenges he faced during his first year of taking over a program with historic success. The conversation also covers a diversity mentorship program created to address the lack of people of color in the volleyball coaching profession. The program involves pairing participants with head coaches through...

Devin Crosby, Director of Athletics at Lynn University, visits @1QLeadership on the topic of moving forward as a country against the backdrop of frustration being expressed over racial injustice. Crosby offers insight into a way of moving forward couched within the intersection of education, leadership development, and society. The conversation also delves into emotional decisions, reactions, and...

Tony Reno, Head Football Coach at Yale, visits  @1QLeadership guest host Caruso to discuss a number of things related to being a head coach during COVID-19. Reno talks about how much the Student-Athletes want to get in the weightroom while Caruso talks about a statistic which says that athletes are most worried about not being with their teammates. Both talk about feeling sympathy for high school...

Georgetown AD, Lee Reed, and Matt Behrens, supporter and former Hoyas Student-Athlete, visit @1QLeadership to discuss the Behrens family gift funding a new athletics position focusing on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Behrens, a member of the 2018 Big East Champion Men's Lacrosse team, talks on the importance of standing with those who are affected by injustice. Reed talks about meeting with St...

Torre Becton, Head Athletic Performance Coach for Football at Cal, visits @1QLeadership to discuss the adjustments the S&C-Athletic Performance coaches have had to make to, not only make sure the workouts are compliant with COVID-19 policies, but also keep the Student-Athletes motivated without a season. Becton also talks about the reporting lines that help to make the Athletic Performance aspect...

Assistant Men's Basketball Coaches Saddi Washington of Michigan and DeAndre Haynes of Maryland visit @1QLeadership on leadership during the pandemic. The two cover learning from their head coaches on how to manage sudden change as a leader. Washington talks on being on the floor to play in the Big Ten tournament when the season was cancelled. He also discusses working with first-time head coach Ho...

MELT CEO, Vince Thompson visits  @1QLeadership guest host Curti to discuss the ramifications of being a major player in sports marketing during the pandemic. Thompson talks about all the parties involved in trying to devise a potential adjustment strategy for a client partnered with the SEC Conference. He also discusses moving his 1000 person internship program online for the MELT Academy and ment...

Jordan Lewis, Alabama WBB Student-Athlete, visits  @1QLeadership guest host Hilliard on leadership, pandemic challenges, SAAC and a number of other things. Lewis, currently in grad school, talks about being challenged academically during lockdown. She reflects on her early years recommending that Student-Athletes get involved with organizations outside of athletics. The conversation wraps on Alaba...

Newly named University of The Incarnate Word AD, Richard Duran, visits @1QLeadership to discuss his path to the chair. Duran, at 31 and in the industry for just under 10 years, talks about the opportunities that have been presented to him during his career. He touches on his background in fundraising operations how it led to his experience in development. Strengthening campus relationships, doing...