Full Great Women Great Danes Interview Transcript
UAlbany's Great Women Great Danes is a new series that will be published during Women's History Month. The series will feature Great Danes, past and present, and celebrate the women of UAlbany.
Q: As a student-athlete, you were on the UAlbany women’s basketball team as they transitioned to Division I, can you tell me about that experience?
A: My experience as a student-athlete was a really positive one. It was during the time when the athletic department transitioned from DII to DI. I was really proud to be part of that transition and lay the foundation for those student-athletes and programs entering Division I. I don’t think I had as many wins as maybe I would’ve liked during my athletic career, but I think all the sacrifices and all the losses were a part of that foundational piece that helped those who came after me be that much more successful in the program.
Q: What did it feel like playing on the team that transitioned to Division I from Division II?
A: I think when we were competing at the Division I level, there were still student-athletes that had been recruited to play the Division II level, so there was that transition of, you know, just getting to the right type of recruits to compete at the Division I level. I can tell you, we fought every single game. The outcome might not have always been in our favor but it was not for lack of effort or lack of trying. We were all really committed and wanted the program to be successful and we had our moments, but I think, you know, it was just that time in any transition. It’s not always easy and it … there are some challenges that are presented and I think at the end of the day we were proud that we overcame the challenges that we were faced with. It didn’t show in the win-loss record but I think we all just take pride in really giving our best towards putting it all out on the court each game.
Q: What is it like for you to have been on that team and now to watch first-hand the success that women’s basketball has encountered?
A: Being a part of a team that was not as successful and then watching the program grow to become a powerhouse in the conference and win multiple conference championships and still be contending for them, even at times when they weren’t as successful. I think it is really amazing, it’s really rewarding. I’m so proud of the ladies that have come through the program. They’re committed to winning and they’re just all-around great people in general, so I have a lot of pride and respect for how hard they have fought to turn the program into a very successful one.
Q: How did the women around you help you as an athlete?
A: The women around me helped me as an athlete in just instilling confidence in me that I have the ability to play a sport that I loved and to get an education at a top-ranked institution. I looked to the strong women in my life like my mother, I had a really strong grandmother, and aunts around me as I was coming up. But also, once I got to high school, I had a really great female coach who pushed all of the women’s basketball team very, very hard and probably to a limit I never would have pushed myself, but I’m thankful in hindsight that she pushed me, too. Then coming to college, my college coaches and Coach Mari Warner and even Coach [Yvonne] Hawkins, who is here today, I’m just very grateful for their leadership, mentorship and guidance as I was going through my college career. It's a difficult stage of anybody’s life as they’re coming into young adulthood and I think playing the sport and having that support system in place was really critical in getting me through my college years and becoming a successful college administrator.
Q: After graduating from UAlbany, what made you choose to stay on as an administrator?
A: I chose to stay in athletics after graduating college because I wanted to stay connected to my teammates and the sport of women’s basketball as much as I could because I was no longer a part of the program. I wanted to still feel a connection to that program. To me, college athletics was that natural connection, I could still be a part of watching the team practice and, obviously, go to all their games and support them. It wasn’t such a hard and stark finish to my collegiate career, I still sort of had that natural connection with them.
Q: Can you tell me about your journey since joining administration in 2002?
A: My journey in college athletics has been interesting. I started as a graduate assistant in the facilities and game operations office and was able to secure a full-time position in that office once I got my master’s degree. Quite frankly, it wasn’t in my long-term goal to be a college administrator - I actually have a degree in public health - but at the time I just wanted that connection with athletics so it was the right fit for me right after I got my masters degree. I was really fortunate to have a really great supervisor who gave me an opportunity in a position where she thought I could be successful and my college administrative career just kind of grew from there. There were a lot of opportunities that were available at the right time and I’m thankful for the administrators that had faith in me, that felt like I could fulfill the role that they were looking for and I just took every opportunity that came my way. I worked hard, I was dedicated, I tried to be a contributor to a program which helped me so much. That was sort of my motivation behind just really diving in and being all in with being a college administrator.
Q: Can you tell me what your job entails today?
A: My job today is multifaceted, I would say it’s a little bit of everything. Primarily, I am a senior leader amongst our athletic department, so primarily involved in all of the major decisions that are made on behalf of the athletic department. I supervise the sports of women’s soccer, women’s basketball, and men’s lacrosse. I also supervise strength and conditioning and athletic training. I am responsible for Title IX and gender equity compliance and, then, a lot of the day-to-day stuff, managing the sports, coaching hires, supporting student-athlete initiatives, and so forth.
Q: In 2019, you became the chair of the America East Senior Women’s Administrator Committee, what does that feel like?
A: It’s a really great honor. I think to be chosen as the leader of the conference’s SWA committee is something I take a lot of pride in, there’s a lot of responsibility associated with it. I think as the sort of leading voice of the SWA committee, you have a duty to tackle initiatives and make recommendations ultimately to the Athletic Director Committee to affect change for the best for the conference. I’m still serving in that role right now, my term will expire at the end of June. I am just happy to be a part of it, happy that the America East had the confidence in me to serve as their leader for the past three years.
Q: You are a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and Women Leaders in College Sports, can you tell me about this organization?
A: Women Leaders in College Sports is a really outstanding organization, it’s a leadership program designed for women who are in college administration or seeking coaching opportunities. It really gives them a program that they can associate with to help further their career and their aspirations in college athletics. It's about mentoring, it’s about connecting, it’s about employment opportunities when they become available, and lifting other women up. I think it’s really important. It’s a great organization and I’m really proud to be a part of it.
Q: What does it mean to you that people may look up to you because of your success as both a woman and a woman in sports?
A: I take great pride in serving as a role model. I am a mother to a daughter, and I want her to know that she can do anything that she sets her goals to be. I want to show her that it’s okay to be strong and that’s not a negative thing, that it can be viewed as a positive thing. If she has a desire to do something then she should commit to it and then try to fulfill it. I try to be that role model for student-athletes, as well, and some of our coaches in the department. We’re trying to raise other women up and try to give them opportunities where opportunities are available. To serve as a mentor to help them grow in their position and network with other individuals. I take great pride in being a role model and I try to do the best that I can do.
Q: What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
A: Women’s History Month to me means a time that we can celebrate all the accomplishments that women have achieved over the last many decades. I think it’s really important to celebrate those accomplishments and continue to celebrate those accomplishments to show young ladies that there are opportunities out there for women. Women need to take advantage of those opportunities and have to be strong and growth-minded and assert themselves so that they can continue to be those leaders amongst whatever career they so choose. Or if they want to play sports, then they can have that opportunity as well. I believe it is opportunity-driven and celebrating the women that have taken advantage of those opportunities is something I take pride in and hope all the other women celebrating also do.
For more interviews from the Women's History Month #GreatWomenGreatDanes series, click here.
