College Sports Information Directors of America

Tami Cutler is in her 20th year in the Wichita State strategic communications office and in her second year as the Associate AD for Strategic Communications. She oversees the communications, marketing and creative departments in the Shockers athletic department.
 
Before becoming Associate AD, Cutler worked in the media relations office at WSU for 18 years. She was the SID for baseball for 18 years, volleyball for 15 years and men's and women's golf for one year. As an SID, she worked with nine NCAA Tournament baseball teams, 11 NCAA Tournament volleyball teams and one NCAA Tournament men's and women's golf team.

 

 
We are asking each featured member to provide a professional development tip to share as part of their profile. What is yours?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you want to learn something new, reach out to a colleague and ask them to teach you.
 
What's the biggest career lesson that you've learned?
Stay calm in all situations and think things through. I like to read over texts and emails multiple times to make sure I am coming across the right way to media, coaches, fans, etc. I don’t want to hit send on a message without thinking it through.
 
What's one communication/social/PR tool that you could not live without and why?
I don’t know if there is a tool that I can’t live without! I’m currently looking at Grammarly because I’ve heard great things about it. I’m going to start with the free version and see how I like that first. My outlook calendar is pretty important! It keeps track of all of my meetings/events/family commitments/appointments. That’s the first thing I look at every morning when I wake up to see what I have scheduled for the day. I try to be as organized as possible.

 

 
Do you have any key mentors or people who deeply influenced who you are, what you believe in, and what you're committed to in your work and life?
My parents taught me so much growing up. I appreciate that they told me I could do whatever I wanted for a career. I know my mom wasn’t thrilled that I wanted to work in sports, but she supported me anyway. My dad worked two jobs when I was growing up and watching how hard he worked really had an effect on me.
 
You've transitioned from the primary baseball and volleyball contact, to now overseeing the communications, marketing, and creative departments. What has that transition been like? What do you miss about working directly with baseball and volleyball?
It’s definitely been an adjustment. It still feels weird to not know specifics off the top of my head like what our RPI is or what the record for kills in a match is. At games, I feel like I’m not doing enough. I’m just sitting and watching the game instead of keeping stats, running the scoreboard, writing a story, tweeting, going through photos, or getting players for interviews. It is nice to be able to bring my kids to games now where we can enjoy them together. I do miss being part of a specific team and getting to know the student-athletes.
 
What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
Be flexible. This job changes so much and you have to be willing to adapt and learn new things. When I speak to students, I always tell them that it is really important that you love what you are doing when you work in athletics. Finding a way to balance the highs and the lows can be difficult.

 

 
What might someone be surprised to know about you?
I’m really outgoing and a people person, but deep down, I’m a homebody. Traveling places, meeting new people and going to the games is great, but nothing is better than just having a night at home to relax and watch a movie or read a book.
 
What are some of your hobbies/interests outside of work? In your bio, your noted your volunteerism with the Kansas Humane Society and the Alzheimer's Association, while also being a Girl Scout Troop leader and a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) member at Earhart Environmental Magnet. How do you make time to do all this volunteer work and enjoy hobbies?
Spending time with my family, reading and cooking. I also like volunteering at the humane society. When I retire, I’m going to become a full-time cat socializer.
 
When I was traveling, it was difficult to attend everything my kids were involved in. The mom guilt definitely would hit me so I would always try to schedule special things to do with them. Let’s just say they would usually get a present after every road trip too.
 
I love going to the library with my kids and checking out books. I always have a stack of murder mysteries to read and try to always carry one with me because you never know when you might have some down time. Since having kids, I’ve learned to really use my time in the office well and take advantage of every minute.