Bio
Throughout my life, I have always had a passion for athletics, competition, and hard work. I have played many sports during youth through adulthood but always felt baseball was my true gift. I continued to play baseball during college while I obtained my bachelor’s degree at West Liberty University. My love of sports and instructing youth led me into the field of health education. After teaching at three different schools over the course of seven years in West Virginia, I decided to further my education and now am working towards receiving my master’s degree in exercise science at California University of PA. I decided to take a position as a substitute teacher for two years so that I could focus on my master’s coursework.
During my years of teaching, I also coached a number of high school sports, including baseball, football, tennis, and swimming. My coaching experience has provided me with many opportunities to further my leadership qualities and abilities in addition to the leadership role I have in the classroom as a teacher. In the fall of 2019, I started a new position as a graduate assistant coaching the cross country team at Cal U. This job has ignited my passion for coaching, and I am very excited for the leadership opportunities that it has provided.
Recently, I began a new job as a full-time teacher at a local facility for youth with behavioral and mental disorders. This presents new challenges and many opportunities to show my growth and strengths as a leader.
In addition to taking graduate courses, teaching, and coaching, I also umpire baseball games and train for and compete in Ironman triathlon events. Not only does my dedication to success, focus on achieving goals, and hard work show in my current positions, but I apply the same passion, trustworthiness, and devotion to every team, school, and company that I encounter. I work every day to make myself better and learn how to be the best leader I can be for others and for myself. I am a life-long learner and never cease to set new goals for myself in my career and athletic life. I model my professional career around successful leaders and teammates with whom I have worked, such as my current triathlon team QT2 Systems, and dream of one day becoming the best role model, athlete, coach, teammate, and leader that I can become to leave a legacy of success for all whom I encounter.
Leadership Philosophy
MY LEADERSHIP
Currently, I hold several different leadership roles. I am a teacher and lead in the classroom, I am a coach and lead the teams and athletes, I am a triathlete and lead myself with the guidance of my coaches through strenuous workouts and races. Each position poses its own requirements, but overall I take the approach of a transformational leadership model. Transformational leaders have several characteristics that make them effective leaders: they have a clear vision, they inspire employees, they are supportive and advisory, they consider individuals’ needs, and they facilitate innovative thinking and better problem solving. I work to build these qualities into my leadership positions and my relationships with my students and athletes. I commit my work to making my followers feel more valued, building trust, productivity, motivation, commitment, and a positive community with a sense of belonging. I bring charisma, enthusiasm, and passion to my jobs.
COMMUNICATION
Communication is a vital component of being a leader, but communication needs to be effective to have an influence. In my leadership roles, I strive to communicate with my students and athletes with purpose and direction. I work to develop rapport with them because it is essential for effective communication. When others feel the leader is trustworthy and interested, it is more likely they will follow. Communication is one of the most vital aspects to leading and team building. Therefore, without being able to express ideas, needs, wants, responsibilities, or any other critical components within a team, a leader would not succeed at his or her job. Therefore, I work to be a quality leader that effectively communicates to all members of the team in order for us all to be successful.
RELATIONSHIPS
I have always felt that being humble has been one of my strongest qualities. As a result, relationships – personal and professional – have always come naturally to me. No matter if I am head coach, assistant coach, a volunteer, or an athlete, I never try to put myself ahead of others or make anyone feel “less than”. I use every opportunity to learn from those around me. I truly believe that the most important concept in building relationships is to never put oneself above others. I remember a teacher once instructing the students how when they enter the workforce, they should never be too proud to do a job beneath them. I try to remember that in every position that I work. I never feel “greater than” or too good to help anyone in need. These foundations do build better relationships and are extremely important concepts to remember as a leader.