Welcome to Episode #59, where we'll talk about Athletic Leadership - not as a concept, but as the formal program that awaits today's collegiate student athletes. My guest will be Dr. Kristina Navarro, who oversees the Rutgers Leadership Academy (RLA). RLA is a privately funded entity whose mission is to equip the student-athletes at Rutgers University with the knowledge and skills they need to achieve success both during and after their collegiate careers by providing year-round opportunities for advancement in five key areas: leadership training, career development, community engagement, personal enrichment, and letter winner engagement. Learn nmore at:

https://scarletknights.com/news/2017/9/13/rutgers-leadership-academy-who-we-r.aspx

About RLA: Rutgers Athletics has long subscribed to the idea that student-athletes should be learning and acquiring new skills beyond academics and athletes. For years, student-athletes participated in student-development activities modeled after the highly regarded NCAA program, "CHAMPS/Life Skills."

RLA’s MISSION: Equip the student-athletes at Rutgers University with the knowledge and skills they need to achieve success both during and after their collegiate careers by providing year-round opportunities for advancement in five key areas: leadership training, career development, community engagement, personal enrichment, and letter winner engagement.

RLA’s VISION: To positively impact the lives of the student-athletes at Rutgers University in their constant pursuit of career, academic and personal success.

More About Kristina: With over a decade of experience in athletic administration and higher education, Navarro began at UW-Whitewater in September 2013 as an assistant professor in sport management and swiftly worked her way up through the ranks. In 2015, she was named the Director of Student-Athlete Engagement, overseeing comprehensive student-athlete development and academic excellence programs for Warhawk Athletics. Navarro's role continued to increase, adding sports administrator to her resume as well as marketing and engagement duties, leading to her elevation to her most recent role. Navarro also served as an Associate Professor in the College of Education and Professional Studies, managing the Higher Education Athletic Administration graduate program and supervising internship and practicum students.

Prior to arriving at UW-Whitewater, Navarro spent a year as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Administration Graduate Program at University of Oklahoma following a 2009-12 stint at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While at UW, she held roles as the Interim Senior Developmental Skills Specialist for football, Interim Academic Advisor and Career Development Coordinator, and Learning Specialist and Mentor.

From 2007-09 at UNC-Chapel Hill, Navarro was the Co-Director of the Carolina Leadership Academy's CREED and Peer Mentor Programs in the Office of Student-Athlete Development.

Navarro earned a B.S. in sport management and business administration with a concentration in strength and conditioning from University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2006. She went on to earn a master of arts in sport administration from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 2009. Navarro then added a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy analysis with a focus on higher, postsecondary and continuing education from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2012.

Additionally, Navarro holds a chair position for numerous organizations, including the Executive Leadership Team AERA Research Focus on Education and Sport, Women Leaders in College Sport Student-Athlete Development Leadership Committee and the NASPA Committee on Student-Athlete Welfare. She is a member of the NACDA N4A Board of Directors where she led a rebrand and restructure of the organization to develop a national holistic approach to support academic and student-athlete development professionals and is an active member of the Women Leaders in College Sports (formerly NACWAA) organization.