Athletes As Educators

Earl Austin Jr. has been covering sports in the St. Louis area since 1986. He is the sports editor of the St. Louis American, which is one of the top African-American newspapers in the country. Earl is also a local sports historian who has penned two books and produced one DVD on basketball history in the St. Louis metropolitan area. His latest book, "You Might Need a Jacket: Hilarious Stories of Wacky Sports Parents," is the culmination of more than 20 years of Earl witnessing "Straitjacket Parent" behavior at youth sports events. Earl has seen it all from mothers making bobblehead dolls of their children to dads being arrested and taken away in handcuffs from their children's games and everything in between. Earl is a former athlete himself who played high school and college basketball. He was inducted into the Lindenwood University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987. www.earlaustinjr.com www.stlamerican.com 

John Ishee is a 30 year coaching veteran with a wealth of experience at all levels of women's basketball. He is currently the coach at Gulf Port High School in Mississippi and has an unwavering passion for the game.  Ishee was a head coach at Southeast Missouri State University where the Redhawks won two Ohio Valley Conference Championships, advanced to the postseason twice and secured the program's first NCAA Women's Tournament berth. During the 2007-08 season, Ishee led the Redhawks to an overall record of 23-9 and 17-3 mark in the OVC to clinch Southeast's secondstraight regular-season conference title.  At New Mexico Highlands University, an NCAA Division II institution he served as head coach of the Cowgirls' basketball team. Prior to that, he coached  at Life University in Georgia. That year, the Runnin' Eagles went 22-10, ranked 18th in the nation and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NAIA Division I National Tournament. Ishee then moved on to New Mexico State, where he worked as the team's top assistant

Ty Evans, a native of Beloit, Wis., a former All-American at Wisconsin-Whitewater and 12-year collegiate coaching veteran.  He is currently and assistant coach at Auburn and has coached Alabama,  Georgetown and St. Louis University. At Alabama, Evans coached the post players and helped his players earn All-SEC honors in three of his five seasons. He was also instrumental in coaching the Crimson Tide to a WNIT Sweet 16 appearance in 2011, the team's first post-season trip since 2002. Also heavily involved in recruiting, Evans brought national attention to Alabama in 2010 and 2011 after securing top-20 recruiting classes both years. Prior to going to Alabama, Evans served two years at Georgetown and was instrumental in the recruiting and re-building efforts that would eventually turn Georgetown into a perennial NCAA Tournament team. He began his collegiate coaching career at Saint Louis University where he served as an assistant coach during the 2001-02 season. After a season coaching professionally overseas,

Shanda Samuels is currently an elementary school teacher who is passionate about helping young people prepare for life. She uses everything she learned as a college athlete to support her students and help them overcome adversity. This love for learning is transferred to her family where she and her husband are adamant about making sure her and children are successful on and off the court.  Shanda offers advice about the college recruiting process that she went through as a player and how she is assisting her oldest son through the process as well. Parents will be enlightened about the strategies she offers and find value in her wisdom.  Shanda played college basketball at Labette Community College in Kansas and transferred to St. Louis University. She was apart of the first team to go to post season play at St. Louis University. 

Marisa Gonzalez was born in Puebla, Mexico and started playing soccer at age 8. Like many other women’s soccer players she started playing with boys which fueled her competitive nature. Having supportive parents who always advocated for sports had a tremendous impact on her life.  Marisa's father played and coached soccer locally making soccer a part of her everyday life. With a desire to play in the US Marisa worked persistently to find a school to play collegiate soccer. After serious injuries, Marisa transferred schools and loved her collegiate experience at Southwest Minnesota State University.  She also studied at Alfredo Di Stefano in Madrid, Spain and earned Master's in Business Administration with a focus in Sports Administration. Marisa's love for sports operations continued as she worked with the Pan American Games and The World Taekwondo Championships. Now Marisa is the women's program director and general manager for the Noria Football Club and is responsible for recruiting players, organize and p

Terri Lakowski is the CEO of Active Policy Solutions and an expert on youth sports policy in the United States. In her role at Active Policy Solutions, Terri has created and implemented strategic policy planning, lobbying, coalition building and education and outreach to renown organizations working on issues relating to sport, youth development, health and fitness, Title IX and gender equity, and civil rights. Terri has worked with her clients to educate the government about the important role that sports plays in youth development, such as helping kids to lead healthier lifestyles, improve access to sports for underserved populations like girls and students with disabilities, and using sports as a platform to advance educational outcomes for youth.  She was instrumental in orchestrating a Youth Sports Demo for the National Council of Youth Sports (NCYS), as well as hosting a number of other briefings including a Youth Sports Safety briefing and assisted in formulating the recently introduced Youth Sports Co

Donna’s business career began after playing 3 years in the Women’s Professional Basketball League, the WBL where she earned All-Star status. This experience enabled her to work in network television sports at ABC and later in cable television at SportsChannel before forming her own production company. Currently leading the efforts of Orender Unlimited, a Jacksonville-based consulting and advisory company, Donna utilizes her expansive experience to provide sales, marketing, media and diversity strategies for a wide array of industry companies and has consulted on entertainment and digital projects.  Donna served as President of the Women’s National Basketball Association for 6 years, leaving the position in December 2010. Her responsibilities included the oversight of all league operations including both the business and competitive aspects of the league. During her tenure, with her focus on revitalizing the brand, its value and relevance, the league experienced 4 years of consecutive attendance growth, after

Cynthia Jordan was named director of basketball operations at University of South Carolina prior to the 2011-12 season after spending her first three seasons on the staff as the video coordinator. She began her career in college athletics as a graduate assistant for head coach Dawn Staley at Temple University in 2007-08. Jordan coordinates all team activities, including all aspects of the team's travel arrangements. She is responsible for communicating all scheduling items to the team and serves as the program's liaison with various other areas within the athletics department. As the video coordinator at South Carolina, Jordan was responsible for taping games and practices, breaking down film and coordinating the ongoing video needs of the coaching staff. As a GA at Temple, she learned all the necessary components of a collegiate basketball program. A four-year letterwinner on the Temple women's basketball team, Jordan was part of three of Staley's Owl teams to win Atlantic 10 Tournament championships (2002,

Dr. Kim is a passionate leader whose work at Play Like A Girl is fueled by her own struggle with overweight and obesity since childhood. Recently named the 2014 espnW Toyota Everyday Hero, she is a relentless community organizer who is on a mission to increase opportunities for girls in active play, physical activity and sports. Dr. Kim is also a respected public health professional and former academician with two decades of experience in behavioral intervention research. Her work exploring the relationship between cancer survivorship and spirituality has been cited in scholarly publications such as Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work, Health Education Research, and Cancer Control. Prior to founding Play Like A Girl, Dr. Kim served as a tenure-track professor at University of Georgia and Morehouse School of Medicine.  Before her teaching career, Dr. Kim served as Director of Georgia's Cancer Control and Prevention Program. She began her career with Tulane X

Growing up with an older brother in a neighborhood of all boys, Lisa's love for competition and sports was developed early on.  Lisa continued her athletic career in high school by playing Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer and Golf at Ursuline Academy in St. Louis and then went on to play Basketball at Truman State University. She earned a degree in Business Administration with a double emphasis on Marketing and Management. Immediately out of college she worked for 24 Hour Fitness, first as the front desk manager (earning $8/hr) and quickly moved into Operations Management and within a year was promoted to District Manager and moved to Los Angeles County. In 2009, she started as an Independent Consultant for Life Fitness and Hammer Strength with Advanced Exercise Equipment. In 2011 she was given the opportunity to be the Regional Sales Manager for Spalding Team Sports. She spent the last five years on the road growing the Spalding Brand, negotiating contracts, working with Sporting Goods dealers and teams fro

Bianca Beck plays basketball for the St. Louis Surge, a professional women's basketball team in St. Louis. In 2014 Bianca was on the the National Championship winning team where she played a intricate role on the team. She played college basketball at Southeast Missouri State University and majored in psychology. In high school Bianca attended Incarnate Word Academy, one of the best programs in the country and won a state championship.  In addition, Bianca and her sisters started a fitness clothing line called BCB Apparel (Believe, Create, Become). Bianca's vision is to inspire women to believe in themselves and accomplish their dreams.   www.stlsurgebasketball.com  www.bcb3.org  bcbeck1s@gmail.com 

Chamique Holdsclaw is a world-renowned athlete, advocate, and author. Her powerful story is one that speaks to all that have faced adversity. Holdsclaw’s vision is to raise awareness for mental health issues and to educate and advocate for those that feel like they are suffering alone or that there voice is too small to effect change with her concept of living “Mentally Driven: Mind, Body, & Spirit.” Holdsclaw has been traveling the country to speak on behalf of her recent documentary “Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw” (2015). This poignant film gives an intimate look into the “female Michael Jordan’s” rise to fame as collegiate and professional athlete and when her career was derailed by depression and near suicide. She portrays an exemplary bravery and forthrightness, through scenes of remarkable intimacy and struggle as she seeks redemption, not just by saving herself, but also by educating and encouraging others at risk. Chamique Holdsclaw has been a public speaker and powerful men

Claire M. Zovko is founder of Sports Law Chat. In her legal work, she has assisted with sports law appeals and contractual matters for FIBA and WNBA players/agents/coaches, a sport federation (before the Court of Arbitration for Sport), Olympic athletes, and NCAA student-athletes. Zovko teaches the Globalization of Sport with ISDE (Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economía) at Columbia University and the University of Miami, has previously taught International and Comparative Sports Law at St. John's University, and Advanced Essay Writing at Ave Maria School of Law. Additionally, she is the founder of Sports Law Chat, which is a Twitter chat dedicated to informed discussions on relevant topics of sports law.   Zovko has worked with the NBA’s Seattle Supersonics/Oklahoma City Thunder, the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and the University of Miami athletics compliance office. In addition, she has traveled abroad as a teaching assistant for international sports law programs in Florence, Italy; Lausanne, Switzerland; and Lo

A pioneer and trailblazer Khalia Collier, is the owner & general manager of St. Louis’ own women’s professional basketball team, the St. Louis Surge. Khalia has taken on the challenge of building the first sustainable women’s franchise in St. Louis. Her team is going into its fifth season; finishing as National Champions in 2014 and second in the nation this past season. Khalia Collier is a recent recipient of 30 under 30, Glamor Missouri Woman of the year awardee and as a prestigious Jack Buck Awardee for her community impact. Through this journey, she has maximized corporate and organizational relationships, developed supporter and donor programs, as well as positioned the organization for eminent growth. A St. Louis native with a deep commitment to the city, Collier is an entrepreneur dedicated to her franchise. She is a strong believer that St. Louis can support a women’s franchise, and is working hard to see her vision through. Delving into sports management, she has taken on the task of re-branding

Petra Jackson was one of the best players to come out of the St. Louis area and go on to have a stellar college career at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale before starting a coaching career. In addition, Petra has worked in the insurance industry for over 20 years while pursuing a coaching career as well. Jackson has coached with the St. Louis Surge, the professional women's basketball team in St. Louis and won a National Championship in 2014. She was an assistant coach at St. Louis University and  spent three seasons as the head coach at Shoreline Community College in Seattle, Washington, where she posted a 45-32 record. Under her direction, the team posted its first 20-win season and earned votes in the NWAACC coaches poll. In 2003-04, Jackson was nominated for the WBCA Region 8 Coach of the Year after leading Shoreline to its first playoff appearance and a second place finish in the league. Jackson was a standout guard at Southern Illinois University from 1982 to 1986. She finished her SIU career

Alicia Herald played college basketball at Washington University in St. Louis where she was a member of championship winning teams. Herald started her career as a fourth-grade teacher as a Teach For America (TFA) corps member in south-central Los Angeles. She later joined the TFA staff as a national recruiter, selector, and most recently, the founding executive director of the Kansas City regional office. In that role, she managed the regional team of twenty, overseeing the development of more than 200 teachers and 150 alumni annually. While in that role and completing her MBA at the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, she had the idea that led to the launch of myEDmatch.  Herald remains a passionate educator and spends a lot of her free time supporting education efforts. She is the vice chair of the KIPP Endeavor School Board and chairs the first Missouri Public Charter School Commission.  Herald earned her undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis, a master’s de

Krystal Beachum played basketball at McLennan Community College and Henderson State University. During her time at Henderson, she broke the Great American Conference and Henderson State single game scoring with 41 points. She started her own business marketing for a international travel club and also helped raised over $1,000 for the Make A Wish Foundation while President of SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee).  She recently obtained her Masters in Sport Management from the University of Arkansas this May. She was also a Graduate Assistant as an Academic Counselor with Women’s Basketball, Women’s Tennis and Volleyball programs for the past two years.  Krystal is currently traveling the world and has started her second business. Student-Athletes Unite was created out of Krystal’s desire to help the future generation of student-athletes through education, images and stories from former NCAA collegiate athletes. While she originally intended to just publish the stories from former NCAA athletes, she quickl

Anna Hunter played tennis at the Texas Christain University and was an All-American. During her time at TCU she was ranked in top 3 in the country in doubles and made it to the semi-finals of D-I NCAAs in doubles. Her career exploration led her to choose finance where she how has a successful career. Anna is a Senior in Ernst & Young LLP’s (EY) Financial Services Office (FSO) Advisory Process and Controls Practice which provides clients with internal audit assistance, risk and controls improvement as well as assistance with process and controls related initiatives. Anna has 5 years of experience in the financial services industry serving banking, broker- dealer and insurance clients. She graduated from Texas Christian University with a Bachelor of Science in 2009 and Fairleigh Dickinson University with a Master of Science in Accountancy in 2011. Prior to joining EY in January of 2014, she worked in external audit for a big 4 accounting firm for 3 years. In her current role, Anna leads team members in the

Priscilla Tallman, is a writer who loves to transfer her love of sports to other others. She is one of the most accomplished players ever to graduate from the University of Georgia. Priscilla finished her career with 2,675 kills, which ranked third all-time in NCAA record books at the time and first in SEC history. She played in 139 matches during her four years in Athens and led the Bulldogs to an NCAA Tournament appearance each season.  She was an All-State and All-American selection out of Westwood High, was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 1991 and finished her collegiate career as one of the best players in Georgia's history. She also earned spots on the US Olympic Volleyball Festival team in 1993, the US National team in 1994 and the World University Games team in 1995. Tallman graduated from Georgia in 1994 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and eventually went on to earn her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. She continued her love for writing for a local fashion magazine based out of Newpor

Emily Jaskowiak, born into a family immersed in athletics, loved sports and competition starting at an early age.  When she was not showing her beloved horse, Mint Parfait, she was pursuing multiple sports.  Her love of sports was a family affair as she was encouraged by her dad, who played football at University of Missouri, and her grandpa, who played professional basketball. With plenty of encouragement from grandpa, Charles Share, basketball quickly emerged as her preferred sport. Following graduation from Parkway West High School in Chesterfield, Missouri, she played Division I basketball at The University of Tulsa (TU) where she received a Bachelor's degree in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (‘05) and a Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology (‘07). Emily thrived on the court as well as in the classroom. Emily was a starter and three year captain during her tenure at TU. Emily lead the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in field goal percentage during her sophomore season, was selected as WAC