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This story is part of our CSC 360 package for February 2023, to view more stories,
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Dear Jess — a tribute to the first Black woman to serve as CSC president
by Rob Knox – Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Senior Director of Strategic Communications @knoxrob1
2018-19 CSC President
Dear Jess,
Seeing you take the gavel in Las Vegas during last June’s convention and become the first Black woman to serve as College Sports Communicators president was a special and emotional moment for me.
Another poignant moment I was honored to share with you occurred a few days before that historic occasion. It was when we both represented the late Bob Smith by accepting his CSC Hall of Fame plaque following his induction — and being interviewed by Debbie Antonelli about Bob.
One of the best photos was of you and I standing side by side by Bob Smith’s photo at the CSC Convention. All three of CoSIDA’s Black presidents in one picture, representing something bigger than you and I … and our trailblazing first Black president, Bob.
That was an experience I’ll never forget. We are standing on his shoulders. I had no idea that we would have another Black president so fast after I led the organization in 2018-19, but I was elated when it became a reality four years later.
Each day you wake up, you are adding to the special history of CSC and blazing your own trail.
I was honored to be asked to write a tribute to you especially with this being Black History Month.
“With Jess Poole as CSC President, the organization’s best days lie ahead,” former CSC board member and current Howard senior woman administrator
Chevonne Mansfield said. “Jess has been a servant leader for as long as I’ve known her and she’s just getting started. I was thrilled to see Jess named as CSC’s first Black female president. It is a well-deserved honor.”
You have always operated with an elite level of excellence, brought people together, and cared about others. You are creating a wonderful legacy and are a trailblazer, my friend. There will be others to follow. In June, I was blessed to have had the opportunity to sit with
Kenisha Rhone,
Scottie Rodgers, and
Denise Thompson during the awards luncheon where we laughed and celebrated with you.
On hand at #CoSIDA22 when Poole became the first Black woman to be CSC president: Knox, Scottie Rodgers, Poole, Kenisha Rhone, Maurice Williams.
“There aren't many opportunities in our lives to say you actually witnessed history,” Rhone said. “Even when you know it's coming, as it was when Jessica was voted into the presidential rotation, it is still a special, awe-inspiring moment. The weight of the moment cannot be understated watching the first African American woman take the gavel.
“It was an overdue moment in the history of our organization. It was also a powerful example for both people of color and career-minded mothers that leading our varied collection of college sports communicators was indeed possible. It also helped to normalize this intersectional reality for our younger members, so they won't have to wonder, as many peers my age did, if it was ever going to happen. Jessica Poole is indeed 'first but not last,' just like her t-shirt said in that historic moment. I'm proud to have witnessed it and even more proud to call her a friend.”
Jess, we’ve shared so many memorable moments together as friends, colleagues, and board members. It’s been fun and a lot of laughs. However, away from the bright lights has been a lot of hard work, sweat, travel, and frustration. We’ve supported each other with many phone calls and text messages.
I am proud of all you have accomplished. You, my friend, have been a fountain of inspiration. You have fearlessly pursued your passions, mentored many in the college athletics space, and inspired lots of folks, including myself. I love how you’ve always set your sights on the impossible and then exceeded it.
Rob Knox and Jessica Poole accepting on behalf of the late Bob Smith, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022. The pair are being interviewed by ESPN's Debbie Antonelli.
You started at Michigan working in the trenches as an athletic communicator and now you’re the Deputy Athletic Director and Chief Operating Officer at Chicago State. You’ve been at Chicago State since January 2020, hired for the role of executive senior associate AD for external operations and revenue generation, and were promoted to your current position last March.
We’ve spent time preparing food for the less fortunate in San Francisco, in many CSC executive board meetings, on many Zoom calls, and making history as the first two CoSIDA members to attend the NCAA Inclusion Forum in Atlanta. I could always count on you and Amie Canfield (now of UMass Dartmouth) for laughs whenever I was leading board meetings in Orlando.
Throughout your sterling career, you’ve provided leadership, vision, strategy, direction and management. You have always spoken up, which is something I have respected about you. I admire your willingness to enhance our profession by serving on the NCAA Women’s Final Four media coordination committee and participating in NCAA Leadership Development programs.
Your work creating the CSC Diversity & Inclusion committee has been transformational and being able to see you be disruptive in the pursuit of change and opportunity has made a difference in college athletics. Earning the CSC Mary Jo Haverback Trailblazer Award in 2021 just confirmed all the wonderful things that you have done in your career.
Your strength is amazing as a mother to Will while working in athletics. It’s great to see.
During your great career, you have impacted student-athletes at Chicago State, Florida Atlantic, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Dartmouth, Michigan, and UNC Greensboro, where I worked for two years.
I love how you’ve always found ways to create value and engage others. You were instrumental in helping grow the Vanderbilt women’s basketball social media accounts while also working to implement new and innovative ways to reach the greater Nashville community which included fireside chats and other exclusive events for fans.
I was impressed with how you spearheaded Vanderbilt’s inclusion in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Advancement program in 2017, a two-year program aimed at increasing attendance for women’s basketball programs by connecting program marketing contacts with industry professionals who were leaders in marketing plans, fan engagement and branding.
Mary Beth Challoner, Jessica Poole and Cindy Potter are the first three women to serve in the CSC officer rotation at the same time.
As former CoSIDA/CSC President Tammy Boclair (the second of six women to serve as president) notes, “I was extremely fortunate to have CoSIDA’s first female president, Vanderbilt’s June Stewart, as a mentor, role model and friend. She opened so many doors and opportunities for women across college athletics. Everyone needs to see people who look like them in prominent roles to better understand what is possible. The continued evolution and expansion of CSC leadership through ethnic and gender diversity in the officer rotation means more opportunities and more open doors for future generations of communications professionals.
"Now, Cindy Potter, as the first NAIA president, Jess, as the first African American female president, and future president Mary Beth Challoner, to be the first Canadian female in that role, are not just breaking new ground, they are lighting the way.”
In closing, you have always understood the important tenet that if we want to do things that matter, it’s going to take effort. There’s an old saying that when you’re clear about your purpose, excellence happens. Jess, thank you for being a friend, role model, mentor, leader, and the first Black female CSC president in history.
Sincerely,
Your friend,
Rob
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