Ross and Carr selected for leadership academy

Big things are coming to the CSB athletic department in the next few months, as two campus leaders and administrators where chosen to partake in a special NCAA event that has the potential to make a difference in the lives of many CSB athletes.

Erin Ross, the CSB head athletic trainer and co-SACC advisor, as well as Emily Carr, the athletic operations manager, were just one pair of 12 selected from the entire NCAA system who were granted the opportunity to attend the NCAA Leadership Academy Workshop (LAW).

The duo will head to Indianapolis in January 2022 to participate in four days of in-person training, followed by a series of virtual meetings throughout the spring.

According to the NCAA’s website, the LAW program empowers athletic administrators with knowledge and skills to develop sustainable leadership programs within the departments of their respective campuses.

Participants will also learn how to apply the knowledge they learn to their specific school, as each campus has different needs.

Just twenty-four athletics administrators are selected in pairs from more than 1,200 institutions for the workshop, which has all expenses covered through the NCAA.

To apply, the participants needed to have letters of recommendation from senior members of the athletics department, as well as commitment from the athletic director.

“Being selected was a huge honor for me and Erin… I think it’s a true testament of what CSB stands for and the strong women we represent,” Carr said.

Carr notes that CSB Vice President Mary Geller, and Athletic Director Kelly Anderson-Diercks have been very supportive of Ross and herself through the entire application and selection process.

“The bulk of what we will be doing is exploring best practices, research and theories in leadership development. All the things we learn we will be able to take back and tailor specifically to the experiences at CSB,” Carr said.

Ross agrees, adding that she is excited to grow her skills as a leader.

“[I’m excited to] network with similar minded individuals from around the country whose primary focus is to enhance the growth and development of collegiate women athletes,” Ross said.

“Ultimately, we’ll use what we learn to develop programming that aims to benefit our student-athletes long after they graduate. We have some cool things in the works, so stay tuned” Carr said.

Ross also looks forward to the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals, and begin implementing the things they learn around campus.

“[Carr] and I already have some secret plans for how we take the tools and skills we learn from the workshop and apply them to our CSB athletic community,” Ross said.

“Athletics specific leadership development programming is not something that currently exists at CSB, so the fact we can bring in a new idea, freshen things up and give what will hopefully be a great experience to our student athletes is so exciting,” Carr said.