UofL Athletics, Heird Places an Emphasis on Staff Development
July 05, 2023 | General
2022-23 Cohort Completes Leadership Development Institute Program
When University of Louisville Vice-President/Director of Athletics Josh Heird took over the department, he stressed the importance of establishing culture and making UofL one of the best places to work in collegiate athletics.
While the department will be consistently judged on team performance on field/court, Heird has put an emphasis on the importance of staff development and empowering his employees to grow professionally, supporting one of the department's overall goals & priorities of making the UofL athletic department one of the best in the country.
"Having a member of our athletic department staff that is solely focused on developing the talent we have here in our department, staff & assistant coaches is very unique," said Heird. "Tiffany Crooks, our Director of Talent Development, pours everything she has in to producing new & unique ways to connect our staff members while fostering an environment that pushes them outside their comfort zone. The Leadership Development Institute is just one example of the programs she's worked hard to expand on, so the individuals involved get the most of out of it & walk away as stronger leaders within our department."
The Leadership Development Institute is a nine-month comprehensive program open to athletic staff members who have three or more years of service and are looking to improve their knowledge of leading people, developing strategies of accomplishing tasks and working through various projects.
During the program, participants are presented with learning opportunities designed to enhance self-awareness, self-management, and leadership skills while offering relationship building opportunities to increase professional networks. LDI's goal is to best position staff members to find success in their current positions and, if desired to earn and find success in advanced leadership positions.
Now led by Crooks, LDI was developed in 2019 to assist employees within the department with an initial goal of fostering personal and professional growth. The program has featured 50 graduates in total across 3 cohorts since it was started in 2019-20, with the first cohort completing the program in May of 2020. The third and most recent cohort consisted of 16 members from 11 different departments & completed the program this past May. The first two cohorts (2019-20, 2020-21) had 34 total participants and of that group, 11 staff members have been elevated in their position since completing the program.
"This program is so unique in college athletics as it is specialized to our industry & focused on the development of our staff," Crooks said. "The collaboration with the diverse group of speakers that we bring in to talk with the members of the cohort are able to give perspectives both from experience in the sports and business world. The cohort utilizes the knowledge they gain through these sessions to develop solution oriented projects which are the culmination of their experience. The projects focus on areas of improvement for the department & are presented to the Executive Leadership team, which have resulted in some changes over the years, namely a shift in ticketing models & creation of a role for alumni engagement."
The 2022-23 cohort consisted of: Brianna McCarthy, Seth Boone, Christel Blocker, Meg Lambert, Sam Keeton, Lana Eagleton, Christina Lashbrook, Morgan Brooks, Diego Insuasty, Daniel Gossom, Addina Tritle, Olivia Morrissey, Adam Creech, Austin Hertzler, Shelley Straub, and Carl Schmid.
During the course of the program, the cohort met once a month on various topics related to leadership, engaging with and hearing from several key speakers who are considered leaders in their space and are widely successful in their professional roles. Some of the featured guest presenters and panelists in 2022-2023 were:
The program culminated in members of the cohort working in groups to assess and develop solution-oriented presentations, given to the Executive Leadership of the University of Louisville Athletic Department, around various areas of improvement identified within the department. Previous presentations from LDI cohorts have resulted in significant ticketing strategy changes and creation of full-time staffing positions.
This year's cohort focused on expanding alumni involvement, centralizing sport programs recruiting needs, and creating an employee recognition program. The groups spent time analyzing and researching the challenges, surveying necessary constitutes before presenting their findings and recommended solutions to the departments executive leadership team.
"I feel like I am a better human. I've grown more confidence in myself and the journey I am on," Blocker said. "The entire experience - my mentor, listening and learning from others, defining values, - each aspect of this program brought so many benefits.
"I was able to take many lessons that we learned in the various sessions and apply them to my new role once I was promoted," Brooks said. "I went through this program at the perfect time for my professional career."
Hertzler added, "LDI showed me that management and leading is an imperfect practice, but that the more you invest into your toolbox the better the leader you will become."
"LDI has helped me with being more confident in speaking up especially if im in a room with a leadership group," Insuasty said. "It has also helped me be more clear and concise in what message i want to convey."
In addition to classroom opportunities, members were paired with mentors within and outside the athletic department.
"I feel more confident professionally to make connections and reach out where it could help me advance," Eagleton said.
While the department will be consistently judged on team performance on field/court, Heird has put an emphasis on the importance of staff development and empowering his employees to grow professionally, supporting one of the department's overall goals & priorities of making the UofL athletic department one of the best in the country.
"Having a member of our athletic department staff that is solely focused on developing the talent we have here in our department, staff & assistant coaches is very unique," said Heird. "Tiffany Crooks, our Director of Talent Development, pours everything she has in to producing new & unique ways to connect our staff members while fostering an environment that pushes them outside their comfort zone. The Leadership Development Institute is just one example of the programs she's worked hard to expand on, so the individuals involved get the most of out of it & walk away as stronger leaders within our department."
The Leadership Development Institute is a nine-month comprehensive program open to athletic staff members who have three or more years of service and are looking to improve their knowledge of leading people, developing strategies of accomplishing tasks and working through various projects.
During the program, participants are presented with learning opportunities designed to enhance self-awareness, self-management, and leadership skills while offering relationship building opportunities to increase professional networks. LDI's goal is to best position staff members to find success in their current positions and, if desired to earn and find success in advanced leadership positions.
Now led by Crooks, LDI was developed in 2019 to assist employees within the department with an initial goal of fostering personal and professional growth. The program has featured 50 graduates in total across 3 cohorts since it was started in 2019-20, with the first cohort completing the program in May of 2020. The third and most recent cohort consisted of 16 members from 11 different departments & completed the program this past May. The first two cohorts (2019-20, 2020-21) had 34 total participants and of that group, 11 staff members have been elevated in their position since completing the program.
"This program is so unique in college athletics as it is specialized to our industry & focused on the development of our staff," Crooks said. "The collaboration with the diverse group of speakers that we bring in to talk with the members of the cohort are able to give perspectives both from experience in the sports and business world. The cohort utilizes the knowledge they gain through these sessions to develop solution oriented projects which are the culmination of their experience. The projects focus on areas of improvement for the department & are presented to the Executive Leadership team, which have resulted in some changes over the years, namely a shift in ticketing models & creation of a role for alumni engagement."
The 2022-23 cohort consisted of: Brianna McCarthy, Seth Boone, Christel Blocker, Meg Lambert, Sam Keeton, Lana Eagleton, Christina Lashbrook, Morgan Brooks, Diego Insuasty, Daniel Gossom, Addina Tritle, Olivia Morrissey, Adam Creech, Austin Hertzler, Shelley Straub, and Carl Schmid.
During the course of the program, the cohort met once a month on various topics related to leadership, engaging with and hearing from several key speakers who are considered leaders in their space and are widely successful in their professional roles. Some of the featured guest presenters and panelists in 2022-2023 were:
- Dr. Meg Hancock, Associate Professor in Sport Administration, University of Louisville
- Jody Bilney, Retired C-Suite Executive, Humana, Bloomin' Brands, Inc, Openwave Systems, Charles Schwab
- Dr. Ryan Quinn, Academic Director, Project on Positive Leadership/Department Chair for Management and Entrepreneurship/Assistant Dean of Innovation & Strategy/Associate Professor, Entrepreneurship PhD
- Dr. Vanessa Shannon, Director of Mental Performance, Cincinnati Reds
- Dr. Brigitte Burpo, Assistant Dean of DEI and Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Louisville
- Amy Calabrese, Deputy Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator, University of Louisville
- Laura Clemente, Associate Athletic Director for Strategy and Innovation, University of Louisville
- Chris Brown, CEO of L&N Federal Credit Union
- Alan Kellogg, Retired Army Colonel, Chief of Staff, University of Louisville
The program culminated in members of the cohort working in groups to assess and develop solution-oriented presentations, given to the Executive Leadership of the University of Louisville Athletic Department, around various areas of improvement identified within the department. Previous presentations from LDI cohorts have resulted in significant ticketing strategy changes and creation of full-time staffing positions.
This year's cohort focused on expanding alumni involvement, centralizing sport programs recruiting needs, and creating an employee recognition program. The groups spent time analyzing and researching the challenges, surveying necessary constitutes before presenting their findings and recommended solutions to the departments executive leadership team.
"I feel like I am a better human. I've grown more confidence in myself and the journey I am on," Blocker said. "The entire experience - my mentor, listening and learning from others, defining values, - each aspect of this program brought so many benefits.
"I was able to take many lessons that we learned in the various sessions and apply them to my new role once I was promoted," Brooks said. "I went through this program at the perfect time for my professional career."
Hertzler added, "LDI showed me that management and leading is an imperfect practice, but that the more you invest into your toolbox the better the leader you will become."
"LDI has helped me with being more confident in speaking up especially if im in a room with a leadership group," Insuasty said. "It has also helped me be more clear and concise in what message i want to convey."
In addition to classroom opportunities, members were paired with mentors within and outside the athletic department.
"I feel more confident professionally to make connections and reach out where it could help me advance," Eagleton said.
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