ATLANTA, Ga. - The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) hosted its 8th annual Women in Athletics Professional Development Workshop at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia.
The two-day workshop, beginning on Monday, December 14, was sponsored by the conference’s Senior Woman Administrators, and kicked-off a week of unique ancillary events surrounding the inaugural Air Force Reserves Celebration Bowl.
The 2015 MEAC Professional Development Workshop, themed “Reserving Your Seat at the Table”, offered an opportunity for current and future female athletic administrators, from all divisions and conferences, a chance to explore professional development, best practices and current trends associated with the business of collegiate athletics.
Participants were encouraged to increase their awareness about roles available to women athletic administrators and identified the important functions that today’s leaders provide to the success of their athletic organizations.
This year’s workshop welcomed a strong slate of speakers including Pamela Stewart, Vice President of National Retail Sales for The Coca-Cola Company; Tim Duncan, Director of Athletics at Clayton State University; and Alfreeda Goff, Interim Director of Athletics at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI).
Also, this year’s workshop featured three distinct paths for current administrators, coaches and future professionals. The individual groups addressed specific topics, through panel conversations and roundtables that directly shapes the day-to-day challenges of their professional tracks.
Corporate partners, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and TowneBank, were instrumental in providing complimentary books and the sponsorship of the inaugural First Lady’s Luncheon to recognize Dr. Robin Smith Williams, the First Lady of Delaware State University.
“I would like to commend the MEAC’s Senior Woman Administrators for continuing to make significant strides in advancing awareness and opportunities for women within the collegiate athletic industry,” said MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas. “Furthermore, I would like to take the time to congratulate our own Ms. Sonja Stills, Sr. Associate Commissioner of the MEAC, for her leadership and efforts with the success of this event.”
Attendees closed out the experience with the workshop’s community service project entitled MEAC PURSEonal Presents. Participant’s donated gently-used purses, stuffed full of toiletries, to be donated to a local homeless shelter within the City of Atlanta.
“I am honored to service the current and future women athletic administrators and play a role in this worthwhile initiative,” remarked Sonja Stills. “In addition to developing those that take up the challenge of athletic administration, giving back to the women of this community, by touching the lives of those less fortunate, is what it truly means to develop and grow as a professional. We learn each day that as you climb, it is just as important to ensure that you bring someone else up with you.”
Portions of the workshop can be found on Periscope under MEACsports.
For more information about the MEAC, visit www.MEACsports.com.
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) enters its 46th year of intercollegiate competition heading into the 2014-15 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of 13 outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Savannah State University and South Carolina State University.
About the Air Force Reserves Celebration Bowl
The Celebration Bowl pits the conference champion from the MEAC and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) against one another in a postseason bowl game. North Carolina A&T State will face the winner of the SWAC Championship game scheduled for December 5 in Houston, Texas.
Fans can purchase Celebration Bowl tickets at ticketmaster.com, by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or the Georgia Dome box office.
The Celebration Bowl is owned and operated by ESPN Events. For more information, visit www.TheCelebrationBowl.com, and follow the event on Twitter and Facebook. ESPN Events also manages the college football season-opening MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney, another game that features these two conferences and highlights the traditions of HBCUs.