Stevie Baker-Watson – DePauw University
Theodore Katula Director of Athletics and Recreational Sports
Education: Ohio University (B.A.); Northeastern Illinois University (M.S.) At DePauw University, Stevie is responsible for supervising 23 NCAA varsity sports at a NCAA Division III institution and the oversight of the intramural and club programs, which includes 43 full-time and 18 part-time staff members. Prior to DePauw, she served as the assistant athletics director and senior woman administrator at North Central College, overseeing NCAA and College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin compliance, athletics facilities and events, and student-athlete leadership programming. Prior to North Central, Stevie was the head athletic trainer, senior woman administrator and physical education instructor at Aurora University for eight years and spent two years at St. Xavier University as the head women’s athletic trainer. She received a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University in athletic training and a master’s degree in exercise science and cardiac rehabilitation from Northeastern Illinois University.
Ryan Brown – University of Kansas Director of Student-Athlete Development
Education: Illinois State University (B.S. and M.B.A.)
Ryan Brown currently serves as the director of student-athlete development for the University of Kansas. In his role, Ryan oversees all community outreach and leadership development for Kansas Athletics, Inc. and assists with various events, as well as meeting with recruits. He is responsible for all personal development educational programming and serves as the administrator for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), coordinating communication within the department, across campus and to the Big 12 Conference. In addition, Ryan is the leadership mentor for the women’s soccer, women’s rowing, women’s swimming and diving and men’s golf teams. Prior to working at Kansas, Ryan served as the director of academics for Illinois State University athletics. Ryan earned bachelor's degrees in both finance and insurance from Illinois State, as well as a master's in business administration while competing on the men’s golf team and serving as a member of NCAA National SAAC.
Amber Rae Childers – Utah State University Academic/Life Skills Coordinator
Education: Carroll College (B.A.); University of Washington (M.Ed.) Twitter: @amberrchilders
Amber Rae Childers is in her fourth year as the academic/life skills coordinator for student-athlete academic services at Utah State University. She is currently the sport counselor for women's soccer, women's volleyball and men's and women's track & field. In her role as life skills coordinator, Amber Rae is responsible for the coordination and facilitation of student-athlete affairs programming that addresses personal development, career development, leadership development and community engagement. She serves as the advisor to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Student-Athlete Mentor Program, and teaches transitional courses for incoming and outgoing student-athletes. Prior to her position at Utah State, Amber Rae served one year as an assistant academic coordinator within the academic support program for student-athletes at North
Carolina State University. She also gained experience in athletics at Carroll College and Auburn University at Montgomery. The Prosser, Washington native completed her bachelor's in business administration and health & physical education from Carroll College, and earned a master's degree in intercollegiate athletic leadership from the University of Washington.
Tim Duncan – Paine College Director of Athletics
Education: University of Memphis (B.A.); Grambling State University (M.S.) Twitter: @painecollegead
Director of Athletics Tim Duncan is wrapping up his third year at the helm of Paine College. Since his arrival, the department has shown dramatic improvement in several areas, including student-athlete performance in the classroom and in sport sponsorship with the addition of football. Academically, Lion student-athletes stepped up with a 75 percent increase in 3.0 semester grade point averages. Tim’s decision to create and implement a comprehensive study hall program was instrumental in the academic success of the Paine student-athletes. Athletically, the most notable contribution to date was the revival of the football program after a 51-year hiatus. Duncan researched, authored and presented a year-long feasibility study to the Board of Trustees and then was able to subsequently hire a coaching staff, raise money for the program, negotiate a deal for a home field, oversee the successful recruitment of 129 football student-athletes, and diligently plan and execute game operations for a club football season. This fall, the team will make its Division II debut as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Prior to his appointment at Paine, the fund-raising professional served as the associate athletics director for development at University of North Carolina, Wilmington. He got his start as an athletic administrator at his alma mater, the University of Memphis, as the director of the M Club. The Memphis, Tennessee native began his career path as a public relations coordinator for Russell Corporation in Midland, Georgia. He then moved on to become a sports marketing assistant at RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company and worked on the signature NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Tim is the founder of the Emerging Administrators Academy, a professional development conference for new or aspiring athletics administrators.
Tim played four seasons on the University of Memphis men’s basketball team and earned a Bachelor of business administration degree. He completed a Master of Science in sport administration at Grambling State University in 1997.
Jan Gentry – National Collegiate Athletic Association Assistant Director of Championships
Education: University of Missouri, Columbia (B.S., M.Ed. and J.D.)
Jan Gentry has served as an assistant director of championships at the NCAA national office since April 2005. In this role, she serves as a liaison to governing sports committees; works with host institutions, conferences and local organizing committees to plan NCAA championships and ancillary events; oversees on-site event operations at championships; coordinates the
the NCAA enforcement staff for nine years, investigated major infractions and served on the basketball certification charged with the oversight of NCAA summer basketball event and league certification. A native of Fulton, Missouri, Jan attended the University of Missouri, Columbia, where she received a Bachelor of Science in general studies, a Juris Doctorate and a Master of Education with a concentration in sport management. While at Missouri, she served as a graduate assistant women’s basketball coach and also worked in the compliance office for two years.
Lisa Goddard McGuirk – Cedar Crest College
Director of Athletics, Recreation & Wellness and Head Softball Coach Education: Brandeis University (B.A.)
Lisa Goddard McGuirk has served as the director of athletics, wellness & recreation at Cedar Crest College for nearly two years now. Since her arrival in July 2012, she has increased sport sponsorship, significantly increased athletic department staffing and productive recruiting endeavors, and is currently embarking on a "bridge campaign" to construct a new turf field with lights and permanent seating, concession and locker room facility, lights for the softball field and six new tennis courts.
Lisa has worked in athletics for over 17 years, predominately in higher education. She has served as a head coach at both the NCAA Division I and III levels at Centenary College (Louisiana), University of Massachusetts, Boston and the College of Saint Elizabeth and has been involved in coaching three different women’s sports at the collegiate level including softball, basketball and volleyball. She has also worked in an athletics-related administrative capacity for Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society; at the College of Saint Elizabeth, where she served as the director of athletics, helping to quadruple student-athlete recruitment, expanding sport sponsorship and opening a $1.2 million softball and tennis complex, and more recently for Softball Ireland, where she was a member of their National Coaching Committee. Lisa has served on numerous national committees and more recently has been appointed to the Eastern Colleges Athletic Conference’s Marketing Committee and the National Fast Coaches Association's National Recruiting Committee's Divisional III sub-committee.
Lisa, a Brandeis University sociology graduate who also played basketball and softball, is currently pursuing her Masters of Science degree in management with a concentration in organizational change at the College of Saint Elizabeth.
Aric Henderson – Angelo State University Assistant Football Coach (Tight Ends)
Education: University of Missouri, Columbia (B.S.)
Aric Henderson currently serves as the graduate assistant football coach (tight ends) at Angelo State University. Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, he won back-to-back state titles in football as a wide-receiver at Raymore-Peculiar High School. Aric attended the University of Missouri, Columbia and studied psychology and broadcast journalism. While at Missouri, he was a student assistant with the football team. After Missouri, he was a video coordinator, gained experience in football operations and worked with the wide receivers
and running backs at South Dakota State University. During his coaching career, he has coached two all-conference players and one All-American. Aric is also currently in the process of finalizing his graduate degree in kinesiology.
Anthony Holman – National Collegiate Athletic Association Associate Director of Championship and Alliances
Education: Augustana College (Illinois) (B.S., M.S. and M.B.A.)
Anthony Holman is an associate director at the NCAA in championships and alliances department. Anthony manages the wrestling and men’s lacrosse championships and has been on staff at the NCAA for nearly five years. Prior to that, Anthony spent five years in professional sports and nine years as the assistant executive director of the Illinois High School Association. Anthony received his bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from Augustana College (Illinois), where he was a basketball student-athlete. Anthony has a master’s degree in sport administration and a master’s of business administration. Anthony has been married for 12 years, and he and his wife Lisa have two children, Myles (8) and Kennedy (5), and reside in Fishers, Indiana.
Dot Houston – Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Assistant Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator
Education: Springfield College (B.S.); Pennsylvania State University (M.S.) Dot Houston is the current assistant athletics director and senior woman administrator at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) in North Adams, Massachusetts. She received her undergraduate degree in physical education from Springfield College and her master’s degree in exercise and sports science with a concentration in motor learning in control from the Pennsylvania State University. As an administrator at Division III MCLA, she has numerous responsibilities including: compliance officer, contest scheduling coordinator, events management supervisor, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee advisor, off-campus facilities coordinator and department community service liaison. Dot also teaches a Principles of Coaching class for students pursuing a minor in coaching. She has extensive coaching experience at the youth, high school and college levels. She coached women’s basketball at MCLA for 11 years and softball for one year. Dot is a tennis instructor and certified by the Professional Tennis Registry, volunteers her services for the Women’s Sports Foundation as a grant reader and enjoys committee work on- and off-campus most-notably for the Eastern College Athletic Conference softball New England region selection committee. Dot is married and has two children currently attending college.
Kelley B. Kish – Nova Southeastern University
Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance, Internal Operations and Sport Administration and Senior Woman Administrator
Education: University of Florida (B.S. and M.S.) Twitter: KelleyKish
the compliance and academic services staff as well as all internal operations and sport administration for the department. Kelley also oversees eleven of NSU’s seventeen sports. Prior to NSU, Kelley spent two years as the assistant director of athletics for compliance and senior woman administrator at the University of Indianapolis. She started her career at the University of Florida as the staff assistant for volleyball and grew that position to the volleyball operations coordinator and director of camp operations. She is active in National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators, National Association for Athletics Compliance and National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and has attended and served as a speaker at numerous events. Kelley was recently appointed to the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Rules Committee and the Division II Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Committee.
Jason Martinez – Grinnell College
Defensive Coordinator, Linebackers and Strength Coach
Education: Albion College (B.S.); California University of Pennsylvania (M.S.); National Strength and Conditioning Association (CSCS)
Jason Martinez begins his fifth season as the defensive coordinator and head strength coach for the Grinnell College Pioneers. He has helped the Grinnell defense steadily improve and finish the 2013 season ranked 21st in turnovers gained in Division III. He came to Grinnell after spending two seasons at Illinois College, where he was the defensive line, special teams coordinator and head men’s tennis coach.
Prior to Illinois College, he coached the defensive line at Bemidji State University, where he was instrumental in Bemidji State Beavers defense posting the nation’s top-run defense in 2006, while winning a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championship and a berth in the 2006 Mineral Water Bowl. During the 2007 campaign, Bemidji State posted yet another top-five finish in the nation versus the run.
Jason coached for one year at his alma mater, Albion College, as an assistant defensive line and special teams coach, where he helped them win a conference championship and a berth to the NCAA Division III playoffs. While at Albion, Jason was a two-sport athlete participating in both football and track and field while earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology. Additionally, he holds a master’s degree in sports management from California University of Pennsylvania and is also a certified strength and conditioning coach with the National Strength and Conditioning Association, holding a certified strength and conditioning specialist certification.
David D. Mines – Auburn University Associate Athletics Director
Education: Auburn University (B.S. and M.Ed.)
David Mines is an associate athletics director at Auburn University. His daily duties include serving as sport administrator for six varsity sport programs, strength and conditioning administrator for all sports, director of human resources, and diversity. David has also served as an adjunct professor in the department of kinesiology where he has taught several sections in the sport management program. He is currently in his 10th season at Auburn and working on his doctoral dissertation.
Erica N. Nelson – University of South Carolina, Columbia Coordinator of Life Skills and Community Outreach
Education: California State University, Dominguez Hills (B.S); Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (M.S.)
Erica Nelson serves at the coordinator of life skills and community outreach for the University of South Carolina, Columbia (USC) athletic department. She joined the department in 2010 and in this role she executes all facets of the Life Skills program, directs the department’s community outreach efforts and acts as the advisor for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, amongst many other duties. Before coming to USC, she worked in the player development department for the National Basketball Association in New York City.
In 2005, she was recognized by EBONY magazine as one of 30 “Leaders of the Future.” She was also honored to receive the “South Carolina Civic Engagement Professional Award” in 2013.
A graduate of California State University, Dominguez Hills, she was a member of the basketball team. Erica also holds a master’s degree in sport management from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, where she was a graduate assistant for the women’s basketball team.
Matthew Pohren – Hartwick College
Assistant Athletics Director and Head Men's and Women's Cross Country Coach
Education: Northwest Missouri State University (B.S. and M.S.)
Matthew Pohren is the assistant athletics director and the head men’s and women’s cross country coach at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York, an NCAA multi-divisional institution (Division I and Division III). Matt works as part of the compliance staff, particularly overseeing Division I compliance, works to schedule athletic facilities and also works with external operations and outside entities to bring new enhancements to the department. Matt also leads both men’s and women’s cross country programs and is responsible for all aspects of operation. His teams routinely attain some of the highest G.P.A.’s in the department and in the conference.
Prior to Hartwick, Matt helped pilot the Creighton University men’s and women’s cross country programs as an assistant coach for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. He also served in the Creighton compliance and marketing departments.
He began his coaching and administrative career at his alma mater, Northwest Missouri State University, one of the top NCAA Division II programs in the country. He served as an assistant coach with the Bearcats’ cross country and track and field programs for three years from 2007-10, helping to guide several NCAA regional qualifiers and All-America athletes in both sports. While at Northwest Missouri State, Matt also served as the department’s compliance assistant and its senior marketing manager. He was elevated to the interim assistant athletics director in the 2010-11 academic year.
As a student-athlete, Matt competed in cross country and track and field at Northwest Missouri State from 2003-07. While competing for the Bearcats, he was a two-time NCAA Division II Academic
All-2007 with a Bachelor of Science in business management. He earned a Master of Science in health and physical education as well as a secondary teaching certification in 2010.
Tamica Smith-Jones – University of Texas at San Antonio
Senior Associate Athletics Director for Internal Affairs and Senior Woman Administrator
Education: Alabama A&M University (B.S); Savannah State University (MPA) Tamica Smith-Jones is the senior associate athletics director for internal affairs and senior woman administrator at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Her primary focus includes ensuring student-athlete well-being, enhancing the student-athlete experience, and Title IX and gender equity awareness. Prior to her arrival to UTSA in August 2013, Smith-Jones was the director of athletics at Division II Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia, where she had led the athletics department since 2008. Before moving into her role as Clark Atlanta’s director of athletics, Smith-Jones served as the Panthers’ director of compliance for three years and senior woman administrator for five years.
Under her leadership, the Panthers captured seven Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Championships, including the first men’s basketball title in 46 years and the first-ever women’s cross country and volleyball crowns. Tamica also played a vital role in securing funding for numerous projects on campus, including new field turf for the football stadium, a pair of weight room upgrades and a football facility renovation. She established Clark Atlanta’s athletics annual giving fund in 2008 and instituted several new opportunities for student-athlete participation and staff development.
Tamica was featured in the Diverse Issues in Higher Ed magazine in March 2013 for bringing heightened attention toward student-athlete well-being and establishing a successful academic support program at Clark Atlanta. Her initiatives included “Grades First Software,” which helped to enhance the student-athlete experience and academic success. In addition, her most recent article “Balancing Your Personal and Professional Brand” will be published in the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association Corner, June 2014 issue of National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) magazine. In her article, Tamica speaks to how essential your personal brand is for professional advancement.
The Atlanta, Georgia native is an active member of many professional organizations and committees. She is or has been a member of NACDA, National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators, NCAA Leadership Selection Committee for Ethnic Males and Females and the Achieving Coaches Excellence Program Selection Committee. Tamica also has served at or presented to the NCAA Committee for Women’s Athletics, NCAA Division II Athletic Directors Committee, NCAA Football Coaches Academy and Selection Committee, NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Continuing Education Conference and NCAA Division II Leadership Action Academy.
Prior to entering athletics administration, Tamica was the head volleyball coach at Clark Atlanta during the 2003-05 seasons. She guided the Panthers to 57 victories in her three years, including four against NCAA Division I teams. Smith-Jones led the Clark Atlanta to a 27-11 record in her second campaign and was named SIAC Coach of the Year, and she followed that with a 21-7 mark in 2005.
Prior to her time at Clark Atlanta, Tamica spent four years in various roles at Morris Brown College, also in Atlanta. She was the senior associate athletics director, senior woman administrator and head volleyball coach from 1999-2003 in addition to serving as an assistant women’s basketball coach in 1999-2000.
Tamica was an assistant women’s basketball coach at Savannah State University in 1997-98 and then was interim head volleyball and women’s basketball coach in 1998-99.
She played basketball at Troy University (1993-95) and Alabama A&M University (1995-97) and also was a member of the Alabama A&M cross country team in 1997.
Tamica earned her bachelor’s degree in management from Alabama A&M in December 1997 and master’s in public administration from Savannah State in December 1999.
Sarah Strickland – Appalachian State University Head Women’s Soccer Coach
Education: George Mason University (B.A.); Troy University (M.S.)
Sarah Strickland just completed her fourth season as the head women’s soccer coach. Before coming to Appalachian State University, Sarah was an assistant coach at Mississippi State University, where she served as the program’s recruiting coordinator and goalkeepers’ coach for two seasons.
Sarah was a well-respected club soccer coach and administrator in the state of Alabama for eight years. During that time, she served as the director of coaching for the Montgomery YMCA Capital City Streaks (2000-04), Girls’ Director for Coaching for the American Soccer Club (2004-06) and Staff Director for the Birmingham United Soccer Association (2006-07).
She began her coaching career on the collegiate level as a graduate coach at Troy University in 1998 and served as the program’s interim head coach during the 1999 offseason. From there, she moved on to Auburn University at Montgomery, where she was an assistant on the men’s and women’s staffs from 1999-2000. On the national level, Sarah is a National Soccer Coaches Association of America Premier Licensed Coach; as well as, a United States Soccer Federation “B” licensed coach. Strickland served on the staff of the U-14 national program in 2001. She also coached for the Alabama Olympics Development Program boys’ and girls’ programs from 1998-2002 and the Mississippi Olympic Development Program girls in 2009.
The former Sarah Churchill was a three-year letter winner at George Mason University (GMU), where she helped lead the Patriots to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 1996 and 1997. Sarah was a three-time Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner’s Academic Award winner and graduated from GMU with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 1998. She earned a Master of Science in foundations of education from Troy University in 1999.
Sarah and her husband, Jimmy (an athletic trainer for wrestling and cheerleading at Appalachian State), have three children: Kelsey (12), Bo (11) and Will (7).
Lead Facilitator
Lynne Kaplan – Do What Counts NCAA Consultant
Education: Simmons College (B.A.); Rollins College (M.B.A.)
Lynne Kaplan is the principal of the organizational development consulting firm, Do What Counts. Her mission is to develop leaders and their organizations. Lynne always customizes her approach to meet the needs of her clients.
Lynne collaborates with her clients to help them articulate and achieve their goals. As a consultant for over 25 years, Lynne has had the privilege of working with a variety of well-respected and internationally recognized organizations. As a masterful facilitator, Lynne works with groups and individuals to become more productive and effective members of teams, communities and society. She has designed and facilitated strategic planning efforts for dozens of organizations ranging from divisions at Disney to athletics departments across the country. As a coach, Lynne has worked with numerous executives to help them improve their effectiveness.
Lynne is also an outstanding trainer who designs and delivers interactive programs that truly change behavior. Her energetic approach permeates her work and every member of staff will deliver training that is impactful, engaging and targeted to key objectives.
Lynne has worked with the NCAA since 1996. Lynne contributes to their mission of the development of student-athletes through a variety of channels. She has designed curriculum, trained facilitators and managed leadership programs for student-athletes, faculty, and staff. Lynne’s relationship with the NCAA has led to collaboration with the National Basketball Association and the National Football League. Lynne worked as a consultant at Disney Attractions for over 18 years. Throughout her tenure at Disney, she was the lead consultant on many projects. One of the most significant was the cultural change initiative called “Performance Excellence.” This initiative supported the vision of the president of Walt Disney Attractions, Judson Green. As lead consultant on this project, Lynne drove the design process, developed the array of strategies used to support the change initiative, wrote the curriculum and facilitated training with executives.
A partial list of other current and recent clients include: the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, the New York/ New Jersey Super Bowl Host Committee, Bucknell University, University of Maryland, College Park and the State University of New York at Oswego.
Lynne is an authorized Wiley partner and has introduced DiSC™ behavioral assessments to thousands of individuals in hundreds of organizations. Lynne has a Master’s of Business Administration from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida and a Bachelor of Arts from Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts. While she was not a student-athlete, she was a majorette and enjoyed leading the squad.
