Goldey-Beacom Holds Opening Meeting for the 2020-21 Athletic Leadership Academy

General | 9/1/2020 12:00:00 AM

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Even with no student-athletes on campus, there still was a positive start to the new academic year with Goldey-Beacom's Department of Athletics holding its first meeting for the 2020-21 Athletics Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Leadership Academy.

This student organization, an extension of SAAC, had its inaugural year of programming during the 2019-20 academic year. The group, now at 30 student-athlete leaders, looks forward to another year of leadership development under the guidance of Professor Dr. Nicole Evans and the senior leadership of the Athletic Department – Director of Athletics Dr. Tom Brennan, Associate Athletic Director Jeremy Benoit and Assistant Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator Bethann Burke.

"The students included in this organization have been hand-picked by their coaches and Athletics staff," Benoit said. "They are a mixture of under and upperclassmen who we believe possess skills that, when honed and fostered, will be able to have a great impact on their teams."

The kickoff meeting was held August 27 to discuss the scheduled programs and goals for the 2020-21 academic year. All programming is targeted to address the qualities possessed by strong leaders including strong communication, self-awareness, gratitude, learning, influence, empathy, courage and respect.

The 2020-21 Leadership Academy programming will include presentations from several GBC faculty and outside presenters on the topics of leadership, effective communication, implicit bias, financial literacy and effective decision making.

"We were excited to begin the second year of the Athletic Leadership Academy," Professor Evans said. "It was nice to not only connect, but welcome back the student-athletes and coaches. Numerous strategic planning sessions were held over the summer to develop effective leadership programs, events and resources. The leadership academy has grown tremendously since its inception last year. Based on student-athlete feedback, we are confident the program is progressing in a positive direction."

The group also will be responsible for completing service activities for their fellow student-athletes and the general student body. This year will see campaigns for many of the hot-button issues in today's society – change and equity, voting rights, diversity and inclusion and mental health.

"Leadership education is a priority for GBC Athletics," Brennan said. "Our world needs effective leaders now more than ever and we are excited to introduce the following students into the 2020-21 GBC Athletics Leadership Academy."

Marshall Awtry – Baseball
Trevor Jump – Baseball
Mason Maxwell – Baseball
Connor Megginson – Baseball
Tyler Jones – Men's Basketball
Tevin Service – Men's Basketball
Alexis Harrison – Women's Basketball
Sarah Round – Women's Basketball
Alanna Speaks –Women's Basketball/Women's Soccer
Lexi Weikert – Women's Basketball
Hunter McGee – Golf
Pablo Saenz Avila – Golf
Cara Jones – Cross Country/Track & Field
Kayla Cook – Cross Country/Track & Field
Camilla Flagg – Cross Country/Track & Field
Jacob Smeltzer – Cross Country/Track & Field
Jayden Velazquez – Cross Country/Track & Field
Chari Konomi – Men's Soccer
Ethan Maguire – Men's Soccer
Pablo Florez – Men's Soccer
Kelly Mejia – Women's Soccer
Taylor Owen – Women's Soccer
Emily Lozowski – Softball
Zoe Lockwood – Softball
Jazlee Rojas – Softball
Elin Anderson – Women's Tennis
Imane Van Veen – Women's Tennis
Julia Syrdahl – Volleyball
Autumn Spendlove – Volleyball
Phelisha Scott – Volleyball

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