1.question Podcast

Visiting with the constant flow of high-level executives who attend the 2017 Women Leaders in College Sports national convention, 1.Q co-contributor Tai Brown catches up with Kathy DeBoer, Executive Director of the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Coach DeBoer gives an update on the state of the game on campus, the concerns of those who coach the game (early recruiting), and much more.

The Daily Press' David Teel provides context to the Athletic Director hire of Carla Williams at Virginia. Teel covers comparisons to recent AD selections around the ACC, the challenge of Football and revenue that Williams will soon tackle, how Williams' leadership style may be different compared to former Cavaliers AD Littlepage, and her thoughts on hiring a new #2.

In this teaser 1.Q, Matt Roberts sat down with Neil Mandt, Founder & CEO of MANDT VR. Mandt speaks to how athletic directors and advanced marketing leaders can look to utilize new technology to enhance the fan experience. More to come from this interview!

While visiting the 2017 Women Leaders in College Sports National Convention, contributing host Tai Brown sat down with Conference USA Senior Associate Commissioner/Chief Operating Officer, Keisha Dunlap. Dunlap focuses on her 14 year tenure, and how her longevity has allowed her to rise within Conference USA.

Coach to Cure MD has been the partner cause for the American Football Coaches Association since 2008, most visible via the large patches and other branding worn by coaches around the nation on the fourth weekend of every September. Coach to Cure MD founder Brad Todd joins 1.Q to recount how the alignment came to be, the involvement of some notable current and former FB Head Coaches, and why pushing for advances in the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is a total campus effort.

Visiting the 2017 Women Leaders in College Sports National Convention, contributing host Tai Brown sat down with Glenn Wong, Executive Director of the Sports Law and Business Program at Arizona State University. Wong discusses the new collaboration with Women Leaders that will provide data on the demographics and career trajectory of NCAA Division I and Division III directors of athletics.

Visiting the 2017 Women Leaders in College Sports National Convention, contributing host Tai Brown sat down with 2017 Women Leaders Division 1-FBS Administrator of the Year, Nona Richardson, current Senior Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator at the University of Utah. Richardson speaks about her career and how she made the transition from coaching to administration.

Visiting the 2017 Women Leaders in College Sports National Convention, contributing host Tai Brown sat down with 2017 Women Leaders Division 1 Administrator of the Year, Tamica Smith-Jones, current Director of Athletics at the University of California-Riverside. Jones speaks on creating an environment for success through setting expectations and telling the story of Riverside athletics. She also speaks on how she plans to maintain that success in the immediate and long-term future.

In this quick interview from the 2017 NACDA Convention, contributing host Tai Brown visits with Brittney Whiteside, Senior Associate Athletic Director/Senior Women's Administrator at Appalachian State University. Whiteside speaks on the importance of being selective with who you work for and the importance of having personal champions during career progression.

In part two of his interview, New Mexico State AD Mario Moccia dives into strategies of how to deal with negative media members. Notes Moccia, "I never understood why there'd be animosity with anyone in the media. [...] I always thought, 'I'm going to be friendly with these folks,' and if I screw something up, it deserves to be in the newspaper." Moccia also notes which current and former ADs he thinks do the best job working with their local media.

New Mexico State Athletic Director Mario Moccia starts his two-part 1.Q with thoughts on how an athletic director at his/her alma mater has the ability to offer a different perspective to constituent groups than a leader from the outside. Moccia also touches on the 'change agent' nature of being an Athletic Director and how an inherent understanding of where an institution has been can be a major advantage. More from the Aggies' boss tomorrow.

Tai Brown revisits his old stomping grounds to speak with Todd Berry, Executive Director of the American Football Coaches Association. In this 1.Q, Coach Berry speaks on the involvement of the FBS head coaches in the NCAA legislative process through input from coaches at the AFCA National Coaches Convention and representation on the NCAA Division I Oversight Committee.

Contributing host Tai Brown visited with Coaches Andrew Althoff and Josh Nelson from Baylor University to discuss science and technology within the Strength and Conditioning/Athletic Performance industry. During the conversation, these two expert practitioners touch on some simple tools that have helped to improve everything from efficiency in communication, to the health and well-being of student-athletes.

We're up to 19 Athletic Director openings nationally - 18 if there's not technically a vacancy at Louisville yet - and some of the chairs may end up being filled by an existing leader from within the organization. That's the path Illinois State Athletic Director Larry Lyons took with the Redbirds and in today's 1.Q, Lyons starts with the biggest challenges for a new AD from within. Additional items covered include the importance of a new AD quickly wrapping their arms around the budgetary situation and what questions should be asked in order to do so. 

In today's interview, Tai Brown talks leadership development with Jeff Hathaway, AD at Hofstra, including the mantra that "the role of a leader is to create and maintain and environment that people want to be a part of." Hathaway discusses developing this type of environment with limited resources, and finding happiness when former staffers and student-athletics go on to successful careers in athletics.

NMFishbowl.com's Daniel Libit is back for Part II of his 1.Q and finishes with advice on how New Mexico Athletic Director Eddie Nunez should approach his new role in Albuquerque. Prior to perspective for Nunez, Libit opines on who really profits from his website, if and when he'll conclude his coverage of the Lobos and if there's a national business model he's exploring.

NMFishbowl.com Editor Daniel Libit has raised eyebrows over the past 11 months in his role as "the independent watchdog of UNM Lobos Athletics". Libit joins 1.Q to provide background and context on NMFishbowl.com, where it may be going next, if there's a business to be built using his model, and more.

On the heels of yesterday's blockbuster announcement from Learfield and IMG College, SBJ/SBD's Michael Smith checks in to discuss the details of the partnership, what questions remain, how the industry may be impacted, and what effect the "deal of decade" will have on other companies in a variety of verticals.

San Diego State Athletic Director John David Wicker reviews football's major success over the past few seasons, including a big win over Stanford last Saturday that set an all-time high in gross gate revenue for the Aztecs. Wicker notes the opportunity ahead for his department to capture the complete attention of the marketplace with the exit of the NFL's Chargers, plus how much time he spends on a weekly basis working through football's facility future.

Ed Stewart, Big 12 Senior Associate Commissioner for Football, speaks with 1.Question Host Tai Brown on his role as Senior Associate Commissioner for Football, and the task of bringing back the Big 12 Conference Football Championship Game.