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CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID
This feature is part of our series of profiles showcasing members throughout the CoSIDA membership during the celebration of CoSIDA Membership Recognition Week for 2020-21. See more features at CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID.
Paul Dodson – Sun Conference, Director of Communications
by Tommy Chasanoff – University of the Cumberlands, Assistant Athletic Director - Sports Information
CoSIDA Membership Recognition Committee Vice Chair
Paul Dodson is in his first year as Director of Communications for The Sun Conference, a NAIA conference with headquarters in Daytona Beach, Florida. He has spent nearly two decades in the profession at the NCAA Division 1 and NAIA levels, and previously served as the Sports Information Director and Coordinator of Athletics Facilities & Operations at Johnson & Wales (Fla.) for two years. His dedication had hard work earned him the 2018-19 Sun Conference SID of the Year Award. A graduate of the University of Miami, Dodson previously worked at Florida International University, Delaware State, the University of South Florida, and the Women’s United Soccer Association, Major League Soccer, among others.
Dodson and his Florida International staff at the 2010 CoSIDA convention in San Francisco. L to R: Maegan Azpaizu, Paul Dodson, Ivan Irizarry, Mat Ratner.
What is one professional development tip that you’d like to share with the membership?
PD: We lose sight on how to communicate with one another. Whether it’s spoken or written, work on those skills daily. I want to say that 99.9 percent of our problems that exist are due to some sort of breakdown in communications (there is nothing to back that percentage but it happens a lot). We can’t assume someone is aware of a policy or that they knew to look on our website for a piece of information.
Remember, just because it doesn’t seem important to us doesn’t mean that it’s not important to someone else. So, return that email, return that phone call, and answer that text message – even if it’s a response of “we are working on getting you an answer.”
One bonus professional development tip is to be a good host. Go out of your way to welcome the visiting SID or team. Make sure to introduce yourself to that new media member covering your team and assist then with whatever they need. Make sure their experience in “your house” is a good one.
What advice would you give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
PD: Love what you do. I’ve never really looked at this as a “job” We are constantly a part of history. Some moments are big, some moments are small but they are still moments. When doing this job, you need to appreciate the moment and all of the hard work you put in to get to that moment.
Also, never stop asking questions; never stop learning. You need to always be open to criticism and always look to improve and learn from your mistakes. I’ve tried to handle my offices and staff like my own team in the athletic department. I’ve tried to lead by example and set a standard. Let’s try to be the best sports information/media Relations Office we can. At FIU, one of my staff members put a sign above our door going out of the office saying “Media Relate Like A Champion Today”… sorry Notre Dame.
Selfie that basketball great Isiah Thomas took of himself and Dodson at a charity event at Florida Memorial back in August of 2019.
Is there an achievement or contribution that you are most proud of either work related or personal?
PD: One of the coolest things that I accomplished was helping to put on an NBA All-Star Game at FIU in 2011 called the South Florida All-Star Classic. Working with NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas (then-FIU head coach), we hosted the game 100 days into an announced NBA lockout. LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and a slew of other NBA players came. We had one week to pull it all together and it produced the largest crowd, a sellout, that I have ever seen at FIU’s arena. Comedian Kevin Hart served a “coach” for one of the teams. It was not only an entertaining game (141-140 overtime) but it was covered by some “heavy hitters” in the media, including Rachel Nichols, Ric Bucher, and Frank Isola. What also made the event special was that several charities benefitted from the game including Mary’s Court, a foundation started in honor of Coach Thomas’ mother Mary Thomas, which was able to donate $100,000 to a scholarship fund at FIU.
You have transition from NCAA Division I school to a NAIA school now to a conference office. What have those transitions been like?
PD: Making the move from FIU to Johnson & Wales was a bit of an eye-opener and a bit of a “rebirth.” At any level, the SID always has to wear many different hats but at the NAIA level, it was never more evident. We are the unsung heroes and the ones most relied on in any athletic department. When I interviewed at FIU back in 2009, Isiah Thomas told me that I was going to have to be both the janitor and CEO if I were to get the job. To an extent he was right. However, at JWU that was 100 percent fact. I had a hand in all aspects of administration and there wasn’t anything that I was not involved in.
Making the move to JWU brought some of my passion back. The things I did there were primarily for the student-athlete experience. It felt more “hands-on”. I loved every bit of working with my FIU teams and student-athletes at FIU. But, when you have less resources, and less demand coming from all directions, your one-on-one time with student-athletes is more focused.
The move to conference work was a bit different. It’s more corporate-like. Things are more straight-to-the-point. You don’t have just one team to root for and you have to take all members into consideration when making decisions on promotions or coming up with ideas with our commissioner. It’s fun – a different kind of fun. And, I now get to focus on the “stat nerd” in me.
Dodson captured during at home tennis match.
While at Johnson & Wales, the decision was made to discontinue sports. How do you handle that from both a PR standpoint as well as a professional standpoint?
PD: It’s never easy to go through something like that. I’ve experienced this two other times in my career – in the MLS when the Tampa Bay Mutiny team folded and the WUSA women’s soccer league folded. From a PR standpoint, you have to remove any personal feelings you have about the decision. You still have a job to do and have to deliver your organization’s message. Trust me, it’s difficult but it’s part of the job. It’s almost like we are one of the last folks on a ship that is going down while everyone else has gotten in a lifeboat.
Professionally, I try to look at it as the beginning of a new chapter in my career. You cannot look back at that time and that organization/school and label it as a failure. Treat your time and your experiences there in a positive light. Utilize the contacts and friendship you made during your time there. I am truly grateful for Johnson & Wales and Dave Griffore (director of athletics) for giving me that opportunity, as brief as it may have been. Always remember “when one door closes, another one opens.”
Do you have any favorite quotes?
PD: I don’t have a favorite, but here is a good one: “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” – John Lennon
In life, we get so wrapped up and flustered with challenges and things that go wrong – from the stat computer crashing (we’ve all been there) to getting a flat tire to losing your job. But in the end, everything will work itself out.
Can you offer an idea or tip to benefit others in the profession?
PD: Take care of yourself both mentally and physically. We are programmed to “live” this job and it is not healthy. Work out in the school’s gym or go for a walk around campus or your office area. We sit in front of a computer most of our professional lives and that’s not good. You should also pick up a hobby outside of sports for the mental side of things. We need to be able to separate our personal and professional lives.
Dodson at the table (behind coach Leonard Hamilton) working at the 2019 Orange Bowl Classic Basketball Tournament. Dodson says, “Like we always preach, when a coach or an inbound pass is in front of you ‘look busy, you are on TV’. I obviously didn't listen to that advice (mid-coffee drink).”