GSM Live: Journey to the Top - Race, Gender & the Athletic Director

This event took place on 5/14/2021. For an article recap and access to the full episode, visit here. To stay up to date on upcoming events, sign up for our newsletter.

Global Sport Matters Live will be held on Friday, May 14th at 11AM (Pacific) / 2PM (Eastern). RSVP HERE

Higher education is an environment ripe for discovery, new knowledge, and innovation. However, the role of Athletic Director at university levels still reflects the commonly seen disparities between representation of race, gender, experience, and perhaps most ironically - education level. Beyond Black and White, what are the underlying factors for the still murky ‘pipeline’ to administrative leadership in American college sport? In the latest field study report from the Global Sport Institute, research reveals that much like coaching, the diversity at the top is still very monochromatic and that more often than not, non-white athletic directors hold higher degrees in education than their white counterparts. 

On the next Global Sport Matters Live, we ask experts  predominantly white institutions and historically black colleges and universities to shed some light on the pathways into the position and what opportunities look like, and what the role of the Athletic Director demands in a pandemic (and post-pandemic) world.

Event Details:
Date: Friday, May 14th
Time: 11AM - 12PM (Pacific) / 2PM - 3PM (Eastern)

REGISTER HERE

Guests: 

Jody Conradt | Fmr. Women's Basketball Coach/AD at UT Arlington 1973-76, Fmr. Women’s AD 1992-2001 at University of Texas and Chair of Diversity Equity and Inclusion at UT.

Her love was basketball. Her aspirations were to teach. Fortunately she is native to a state which takes pride in its passion, independence and can-do attitude. Those traits, along with her graceful, compassionate style, Texas-sharp wit and humor, and desire to bring education and sport opportunities to young women, advanced Conradt into a visionary leader for women's college basketball and women's sports administration.

Conradt's classroom eventually became a 16,000-seat arena at her beloved University of Texas, after serving as coach at Sam Houston State (1969-73) and coach/women's athletics director at UT-Arlington (1973-76). In 38 years as a collegiate head coach, Conradt's players won 900 games – and, more important, 99 percent of them graduated. Speak with her former student-athletes, and they agree on Conradt's life lessons: integrity and team goals above all, self-discipline and organization, embrace diversity and tolerance, commit to honest and effective communication, maintain presence and exhibit class. Read more here.

Dr. Brandon Martin | Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics at University of Missouri-Kansas City and Co-Chair of the Black AD Alliance

Dr. Brandon E. Martin began his tenure as Kansas City Athletics Director on December 3. 2018. Martin’s leadership has helped change the culture within Kansas City Athletics as his positive energy, passion, and strategic vision has helped elevate the Roos' momentum on and off the field.

In September 2020, Dr. Martin was promoted to Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics. In this role, Martin paired his athletics department leadership with strategic initiatives on campus including leading a task force on retention and graduation for underrepresented, first generation, transfer students, and students of color at UMKC. Martin o-lead’s the task force with Senior Vice Provost for Student Success Kristi Holsinger, an effort launched in fall 2020 by Chancellor C. Mauli Agrawal and Provost Jenny Lundgren. Read more here

China Jude, Ed.D | Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Denver Broncos Football Club, Fmr. Senior Associate Athletics Director for Administration/Senior Woman Administrator at University of Wyoming. President at Minority Opportunities Athletic Association

Jude, who has more than 23 years of collegiate athletic administration and coaching experience, most recently worked as the University of Wyoming's Senior Associate Athletics Director for Administration/Senior Woman Administrator (SWA). During her three years at Wyoming, she oversaw sports medicine, sports performance and nutrition, strategic planning, gender equity and diversity and inclusion initiatives, and the volleyball and soccer programs.

As the SWA, Jude represented the athletic department on the Mountain West Conference Nominating Committee, served as Sports Liaison to Women's Soccer and chaired the SWAs. She was named to the 10th annual Sports Business Journal (SBJ) Game Changers: Women in Sports Business Class of 2020 and was named the 2019 Women Leaders in College Sports Nell Jackson Administrator of the Year.

In addition, Jude served on the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Committee and is the President of the Minority Opportunities Athletics Association (MOAA). She is also the former Chair of the NCAA Minority Opportunities Interest Committee (MOIC) and founder of the Women of Color (WoC) Athletics Director Network. Read more here.

Herb Courtney II | CEO of Renaissance Search & Consulting

Herb has been involved with intercollegiate athletics for over 15 years, seven of those years as a division 1 assistant coach. During this time, Herb has developed significant relationships with athletic directors and coaches. Herb keeps his ear to the ground in the minority coaching community and makes it a priority to continue to develop relationships within the coaching community.

Herb is a passionate advocate for diversity and ethics in sports. With Herb’s experience in college athletics and recruiting, he has a unique feel to who would be ideal candidates that would fit each client’s culture and needs. He brings a high level of integrity, confidentiality, and expertise while working with hiring institutions to help them through the search process. Read more here.

Stan Johnson | President and founder of Stan Johnson & Associates & Executive Director of Minority Opportunities Athletic Association

Stan Johnson is President and founder of Stan Johnson & Associates; a human resource development consultancy. Additionally, he serves as Executive Director of the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA). The Mission of MOAA is to provide opportunities to exchange ideas, advocate increased participation and administrative opportunities for minorities in athletics. MOAA also promotes generating a sports culture that supports the values necessary to teach and learn respect for self and others.

Mr. Johnson has been a consultant, trainer, program designer and manager for over 40 years. Working with Fortune 500 companies, as well as local and national Nonprofit Organizations for over 30 years, Mr. Johnson has served in various capacities that maintained appropriate communications, training and sensitivity to individuals and organizations regarding issues that relate to career development, diversity, gender and race. Read more here

Led by:
Scott Brooks, PhD | Director of Research at Global Sport Institute