2019 Retreat Speakers

Leading experts will enhance the retreat experience by discussion various topics mean to challenge each cohort member as they being their journey into sports business.

This session begins with an icebreaker that explores identity, diversity, and inclusion. Participants then examine examples of professional athletes using sports as a vehicle for social progress and brainstorm ways in which they can use their current and future platforms to drive change. 

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Collin Williams Jr. is an educator, author and researcher addressing race and other diverse issues through the lens of sports. As a director of leadership & education, Collin develops, executes and expands RISE’s education and leadership programs, collaborating with internal and external partners to identify training needs and strategies.

Previously, he worked in social responsibility and player programs for the NBA and as assistant director of player engagement for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens.

As a doctoral student of higher education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, Collin served as a research associate and campus climate consultant at the Center for the Study of Race & Equity in Education, as well as an instructor of a graduate-level interactive seminar course on issues of diversity in the United States.

Featured in more than 300 national and local media outlets, his research explores how undergraduates’ social experiences influence engagement, academic performance, campus climate and post-college outcomes, especially for students and athletes of color from low-income, first-generation college and other underrepresented backgrounds. Collin earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology and Africana studies and his doctorate in higher education from the University of Pennsylvania.

In this conversation, Barnes discusses lessons learned from his experience as a football player at Ohio State and beyond.

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Following his collegiate football and coaching career at Ohio State University, Jarrod stepped away from the game to pursue his Ph.D. in Sports Management and find answers to the root of problems that exist regarding how sport organizations are built and sustained. Jarrod has previously served as the Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Development at Clemson University and as a contributing writer for Front Office Sports. Jarrod launched Prime U in 2017 and continues to advance this vision and mission of the company.

Students will spend time with mentors identifying transferable workforce skills and developing their delivery techniques. This is an invaluable step in communicating with on and off-campus resources. Are you taking full advantage of your opportunities?

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Dr. Leah Turner earned her Doctor of Philosophy degree in higher education from Ohio University as a Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Doctoral Scholar. The focus of her dissertation and her primary academic interests involve research on the college choices of under-served and under-researched athletes to address prominent higher education issues such as access, retention, degree completion, student involvement, and satisfaction. She most recently served Texas A&M University as the assistant director for career development. In constant effort to educate professionals on the importance of assessment and specialized attention for disadvantaged populations, Dr. Turner presents research at conferences such as the Black Student-Athlete Summit (University of Texas), NASPA Annual Conference, North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS), American Association of Blacks in Higher Education, Texas Association of Black Professionals in Higher Education, etc. 

While working on her Bachelor’s degree in Biology/ Pre-Medicine, Leah led the NCAA DII West Virginia State University Yellow Jackets to their first West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship and currently holds 5 all-time records for the institution. After completing a Master's degree in Biotechnology from her WVSU alma mater, she joined the University of Charleston’s volleyball program in Charleston, WV as an assistant coach for five seasons.