College Sports Information Directors of America

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• Previous Women to Watch Features: Zekeya Harrison, Tennessee State  |  Kris Petersen, Penn State  |  Mary Beth Challoner, Toronto  |  Jolisa Williams, Shaw  |  Jill Guise, John Hopkins  |  Natalie Davis, Co-Lin  |  Sammi Wellman, California Baptist  |  Jenna Willhoit, Dayton

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  WoSIDA Women to Watch: October 2018
Stephanie Dutton, Assistant Commissioner
North Eastern Athletic Conference
by Lisa Champagne – NESCAC, Assistant Director for Media Relations

 

It is often said athletics is a relationship business and one of the best things about working in the industry is the relationships that are created, whether with student-athletes, fellow staff members or coaches. Working a variety of roles and developing relationships as an undergraduate at Plattsburgh State and a stint in the minor leagues led Stephanie Dutton into the sports information world. Although admittedly a little green at the start, she moved from assistant SID to the director chair, and eventually to the Assistant Commissioner at the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC).
 
What got you into sports information/how did you get started?
SD: I absolutely stumbled into Sports Information. After graduating with my M.S. in Sport Management from SUNY Cortland, I began working in Minor League Baseball in a variety of roles – ticketing, promotions, in-game entertainment, and marketing services. I spent a little over two years in baseball before Bruce Delventhal, the Plattsburgh State Athletic Director at the time, reached out to me in the summer of 2010 that they were looking for an assistant SID. I had worked in various roles throughout the athletic department as an undergrad at Plattsburgh and kept a solid network after I left. Thanks to those relationships, Plattsburgh took a chance on me despite being as green as one could be stepping into such a role. Thankfully they gave me that opportunity to step into college athletics and truly begin to grow as a professional.
 
What is the best part of the profession?
SD: The interactions with student-athletes. You have the opportunity to meet so many student-athletes with a variety of backgrounds. It makes what we do so enjoyable. And I always love game day – even now in a conference office, championship season is the best as I get to be back in that game day atmosphere.
 
What’s your best piece of advice for being a woman in the profession?
SD: Be authentic and don’t be afraid to be who you are. Will there be times that some may question or doubt you as a woman? Sure. However, I believe if you give it everything you have and stay true to who you are, your work will speak for itself and “being a woman” won’t be your identifying feature. I also am a firm believer that as women we apologize too much. I’m guilty of this too. Mistakes or missteps will happen along the way and there are situations that absolutely warrant an “I’m sorry,” but be confident in your abilities and the decisions you make. We can’t make everyone happy all the time and that’s completely okay. Finally, make an effort to remember people’s names. I promise you, it makes a difference.
 
Who are some mentors that you learned from and what are some of the lessons they taught you?
SD: My mentors are a random list. While I can’t pinpoint just one, I would have to acknowledge the group of SUNYAC SIDs that were in place when I first stepped into this world. Six months after starting as the Assistant SID at Plattsburgh State, I became the Interim SID and a solo shop. Not only was I still learning the ropes, I was incredibly overwhelmed. I was lucky to have fellow SIDs in the conference that were understanding and beyond patient. They were the best resources at a time when I really doubted myself. That taught me how to ask for help and showed me very early on how supportive fellow SIDs are in any situation.
 
I would be remiss not to mention two mentors outside the SID world as well. The first would be Mark Christiansen, who was the long-time Field House Director at Plattsburgh State. I worked with Mark as an undergrad student employee for four years and he gave me many opportunities and responsibilities for a student employee. When I graduated from Plattsburgh, I had no idea what I wanted to pursue as a career. It wasn’t until I realized how much I missed working at Plattsburgh State, that I realized I wanted to pursue sport management. Everything I learned about event management and game operations started there with Mark. It was that role that eventually led to my return to Plattsburgh, where even as a colleague, I often leaned on Mark to hash out the happenings of the day.
 
Lastly, my 10th grade English Teacher, Greg Lapinski (I told you these were random!). Back in high school, I had big dreams of being a sports broadcaster. Mr. Lapinski knew this and was the first person, beyond my family, that had this unwavering confidence that I could do exactly that. He’s a huge sports fan and gave me a place during those awkward teenage years to talk about sports every day. While I didn’t end up on TV, I know without a doubt his encouragement and support at that point in my life helped steer me to where I have ended up. Not to mention, he gave us a journalism unit in that class that I filtered back to in my early days of press release writing. He was the best teacher I ever had in grade school – hands down.
 
What obstacles or challenges have you overcome in your career so far? How did you get through them and learn from them?
SD: One of the biggest challenges was taking on a videoboard operation during my second year at Plattsburgh. It was an ongoing challenge during my tenure and was an endless learning experience. I often had to lean on folks from my baseball background for help, which taught me the value of maintaining connections from every stop in a career. It taught me the importance of saying no, setting realistic expectations and how to better handle situations when things just don’t go as planned.
 
What do you do to balance work/personal life?
SD: I am a huge Mets fan. I love to go to games during the summer. I have a goal to see the Mets play in every park, which I realize is going to take a while, but I try to knock off a park or two a year. I also take dance classes each week. I danced competitively when I was much younger, but I’ve started dancing again the past year and it was a great choice. It gives me a chance to do something completely unrelated to work for a couple hours each week. I pay for it, so I feel accountable for being there and it requires me to focus and be present. My mind can’t wander to my work to-do list and no one asks me about weekly awards. I didn’t have an outlet like this for many years and now I see how important it is to have this. I encourage everyone to find things that force you to be pulled away and disconnected from work life. A true balance may never be realistic, but you have to take time for yourself and the things that make you happy.
 
What is your most memorable event/moment from your SID career?
SD: Seeing one of my teams win a National Championship for the first time. After traveling with Plattsburgh women’s hockey for two seasons to the NCAA DIII Championships and coming up short, they finally won it all in 2014 and on home ice in front of 1,700 fans. It was an unreal moment. It meant a lot to see the student-athletes who had been on the team the previous two years raise that trophy. I’ll never forget being on the ice during awards and recording raw celebration footage when the crowd organically started spelling out “Plattsburgh.” Winning and hosting a National Championship absolutely checked two items off the bucket list. I was fortunate to have that experience two more times and while all were equally awesome, nothing beats the first one.
  What are the characteristics of a good SID?
SD: Organized, Hard-working, steadfast integrity and empathic.
 
Why do you enjoy working at the NEAC?
SD: I love my current role with the NEAC. I was truly at a crossroads in my career and the opportunity to join the NEAC came at the perfect time. My role with the NEAC allows me to engage with so many diverse student-athletes, work with a large group of dedicated athletic administrators, and travel to a variety of locations, while allowing me to maintain a much better balance in my personal life. I’m also lucky to have a boss in Candice Murray that is supportive of me, both professionally and personally.
 
What is your most prized possession?
SD: Tough question as I try not to get too attached to things. While this isn’t related to my job, I think my most prized possession is a photo I have with David Wright of the Mets from a fundraiser in 2007. While the picture is great, it’s the story behind it that makes it so important to me. When I met him at that fundraiser we had a conversation about a number of things, including how my grandpa was a giant Mets fan. He asked where my grandpa was and offered to talk to him. I got my grandpa on the phone and David didn’t hesitate to jump on and listen to him go on and on about the Mets rallying to beat the Cubs earlier that day. My grandpa frequently shared that story after that night and used to have that photo displayed on his coffee table. I’m a Mets fan because of my grandpa and that photo is my connection to such a cool moment we were able to share, even if only via phone, with a ballplayer who is as kind and appreciative as the media say he is.
 
How do you decompress after a stressful event/week/season?
SD: I decompress by making time to catch up with friends and family, even if it’s brief. I’m not ashamed to admit that sometimes my decompressing requires a solid Netflix binge.
 
What do you hope your SAs remember most about you?
SD: I hope that they remember that I cared about them beyond what they did on the court, was willing to make time to help them in any way I could, and that they could count on me. I also hope they remember that finding something to laugh about and not taking ourselves too seriously was just as important as anything on the to-do list.
 
Most memorable/well known student-athlete you’ve worked with?
SD: I can’t pinpoint just one. While none have gone on to be well-known, so many have given me memorable moments and gone on to do awesome things in their lives. I’ve also had the chance to get to know some of their amazing families. I often find I’m more proud of seeing what they do beyond graduation than anything they could have done as a student-athlete. Every student-athlete I met or continue to meet has a unique story and I just feel extremely lucky that I get a chance to work with them.