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CoSIDA Executive Board Meets at NCAA in Indianapolis To Kickoff New Academic Year
by Will Roleson – CoSIDA Associate Executive Director @wroleson
CoSIDA’s Executive Board and staff made their annual visit to the NCAA national office in Indianapolis July 31-Aug. 2 to meet with various NCAA staff and hold its first meetings for 2022-23.
Led by CoSIDA President Jessica Poole of Chicago State and new Executive Director Erik Christianson, the board meetings including a number of agenda items, including:
- 2022 Convention recap and preliminary plans for 2023
- Update on CoSIDA’s strategic branding initiative and next steps, including an upcoming membership vote
- Academic All-America program changes
- 2022-23 committee objectives
- Advocacy plans, including board and staff travel to various meetings and events
- Evaluation of CoSIDA’s current strategic plan
- Knight Fellowship and Racial and Social Injustice Initiative review
- Brainstorming session on the future of athletics communications
The Executive Board met with the following NCAA staff:
- Terri Steeb Gronau (Vice President), Maritza Jones (Managing Director), and Ryan Jones (Associate Director) of Division II
- Topics included the Make GameDay Yours initiative, the recent Division II conference SIDs meeting at the NCAA, D2 Day (February 22), the 50th anniversary of Division II, the Fall Sports Festival in Seattle and the joint women’s basketball and tennis championships
- Gina Lehe (Interim Senior Vice President), Dana Thomas (Director - Creative & Digital), Charlie Henry (Director - Editorial Development), and Michelle Hosick (Director - External Engagement) of NCAA Communications
- Topics included branding, transparency and trust; ways the NCAA can connect with student-athletes and amplify their voices; and the NCAA Social Series show
- Louise McCleary (Vice President) of Division III
- Topics included Division III Week, the Division III Student Program that funds attendance at the CoSIDA Convention, championing the work and roles of athletics communicators, and the addition of former CoSIDA board member Katie Mucci to the Division III staff
- David Worlock (Director) of Media Coordination and Statistics and most members of the department
- Topics included NCAA LiveStats, specifically football for this fall and the timetables for baseball/softball, lacrosse and tennis
- Geoff Silver (Managing Director) of Academic & Membership Affairs
- Topics included Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) and its impact on athletics communications
“Meeting with our executive board and the NCAA staff is a great way to begin the new board year,” said Christianson. “We had substantive discussion as a board regarding a number of important CoSIDA initiatives, most notably the strategic branding process. The conversations with staff from the various NCAA departments reminded us of the commonality of our missions and how we can continue to work together on behalf of athletics communicators, institutions and student-athletes.”
The CoSIDA Executive Board will hold monthly calls beginning in mid-August and will next gather in-person at the NCAA Convention in January in San Antonio.
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