Four Student-Athletes Selected for Athletic Development Program
2/7/2024 10:22:00โฏAM | General, The Golden Flashes Club
KENT- Four Kent State student-athletes have been selected to participate in the National Association of Athletics Development Directors (NAADD) Earl Edwards Minority Student-Athlete Development Program.
Kent State student-athletes J.B. Awolowo (Football), Logan Henderson (Volleyball), Tianna McCormick (Track & Field) and Bri Wright (Track & Field) will represent Kent State in the development program. The purpose of the program is to identify talented and driven minority collegiate student-athletes and expose them to the field of athletics development.
Candidates were identified with the help of campus administrators with an interest in learning more about athletics development and potentially gain employment within the field. Under the guidance of Associate AD, Athletic Philanthropy Maggie McKendry, the student-athletes will have an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of athletics fundraising from annual fund to major giving and planned gifts.
"I'm looking forward to introducing these driven student athletes to the world of fundraising," McKendry said. ย "The group we have coming in already possess an excellent skill set to become highly successful in the field and the programming and structure offered through this program is going to build an excellent foundation for their future!"
Additional campus activities such as shadowing athletic and campus philanthropy staff for a 'day in the life' experience, to include donor meetings, proposal writing, staff interaction and events. They will be invited to attend weekly fundraising staff meetings and have opportunities to engage with donors at campus events.
In addition to the campus interactions, NAADD will facilitate virtual interactions for all participants in the program to engage with industry leaders across college athletics fundraising in a variety of timely topics. The program will culminate with opportunity for a participant to apply to attend the annual NAADD/Fundamentals of Athletic Development convention in June, 2024.
About Earl Edwards: Edwards served as NAADD President in 2002-03. He has been at the helm of the UC San Diego athletics department since March 2000. During his tenure, UC San Diego has consistently been recognized nationally for its academic and athletics achievements and, in just two decades, has risen from NCAA Division III to Division II and, in the summer of 2020, Division I. Edwards has served the collegiate athletics community at-large throughout his career, including the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) Board of Directors and NACDA Executive Committee. He has also been a member of the Division II Management Council, the Division II Championships, Minority Opportunities and Interest Committee, the Walter Byers Scholarship Committee as well as the Committee for Women's Athletics. Edwards was recognized as an Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year at the 2017 NACDA & Affiliates Convention in Orlando, Fla.
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About NAADD:ย NAADD is the first organization of its kind to provide educational and networking opportunities, enhancement of acceptable operating standards and ethics, and establishment of the overall prestige and understanding of the profession of athletics development and fund raising. For more information about NAADD, please visit www.naadd.com. NAADD is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 56thย year. For more information on NACDA and the 17 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.
