Phoenix Rising at Women Leaders in College Sports Convention

Soul

Nov 22

From October 9 to October 11, female members within the LSU Athletics Department attended the Women Leaders in College Sports convention in Kansas City, Mo. Women Leaders in College Sports is an organization that aims to develop and connect women working in college sports, while fostering values of diversity, equity and leadership. Women Leaders in College Sports offers training and mentorship programs, access to a supportive network and career searching platforms, and promotion of any woman’s success in the college sports industry.

Women Leaders in College Sports celebrated the 50th anniversary of Title IX by hosting its most-attended convention this past month. The three-day conference featured keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and workshops for growing in leadership, career strategy, sport supervision, fundraising, and personal performance. The organization also hosted late-night networking events, along with luncheons starring the Nike Executive of the Year and various Title IX trailblazers.

Assistant Athletic Director for Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) & Strategic Initiatives Taylor Jacobs was one of the featured speakers at the conference, as well as Assistant Athletic Director/Director of Sport Psychology and Counseling Dr. LaKeitha Poole. Additional representatives from LSU included Leighann Westfall, executive director for external relations and letterwinner engagement, and beach volleyball graduate student Kylie Deberg.

Jacobs was given the opportunity to educate attendees about the evolving concept of name, image and likeness in collegiate sports. While the subject matter was important, the setting was just as meaningful to Jacobs.

“It was such an honor to represent LSU and present at the Women Leaders Conference in Kansas City,” Jacobs stated. “To be able to share my experiences with the NIL world and learn from others in this industry is something I do not take for granted. I am incredibly thankful to be a part of an organization that supports, encourages and educates industry leaders and cannot wait for my opportunities to engage in the future.”

World Mental Health Day coincided with the dates of the conference, providing mental health speakers like Dr. Poole with the chance to speak on an impactful topic on a day where it shines just a little brighter.

“The WLCS convention was a refreshing experience of getting to see so many colleagues and friends who both work in the sports world and are passionate about seeing women succeed,” Dr. Poole said. “Having the opportunity to be a featured speaker on the topic of mental health, specifically on World Mental Health Day, was such an inspiring experience and one that I’ll never forget.”

Sharing similar sentiment with Jacobs and Dr. Poole, Westfall was grateful to be surrounded by women that share the same passions, and to have a closer look at the how opportunities for women in collegiate athletics has grown in the last 50 years.

“The connections and topics discussed at this conference are extremely beneficial as we continue to strive for excellence within our professional roles in LSU Athletics,” Westfall stated. “A highlight for me was getting to support my colleague and friend, Taylor Jacobs, as she presented on an industry hot topic of NIL at the conference.”

In addition to absorbing knowledge from Jacobs and Dr. Poole, Deberg, the only student-athlete representing LSU, was initially overwhelmed by all the other activities the conference offered. By its end, she left incredibly thankful for the experience. With over 1200 women attending, Deberg soaked up all the wisdom she could from TED talks and speeches delivered by women that all work in sports in some capacity.

“Hearing where those women came from and how they got to where they are was really inspiring,” Deberg said. “They were also all women leaders in sports, so being surrounded by all of that women empowerment was awesome.”

Being the only female athlete to represent LSU was a tremendous honor for Deberg. Although she did not even know about this conference prior to her selection, the accomplishment of being chosen to represent her university still meant the world to her.

Deberg hopes to play professional beach volleyball following her collegiate career, and later aspires to be an indoor volleyball coach at the NCAA level. The conference served as a prime networking opportunity for Deberg, even without volleyball coaches in attendance.

“Since it was in the fall, there weren’t any volleyball coaches there because they are in season,” Deberg explained. “The Oklahoma basketball coach was there, and hearing her story, getting her information and being able to reach out to her and others was really cool. The conference was such a great way to build a network in coaching, and I really hope I can go back in the years to come.”