ATLANTA, Ga. – Brigi Palatino returned back from Atlanta, Georgia after being selected to attend the Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) program April 25-26 and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Inclusion Forum, April 26-28.
Palatino was selected along with 29 other Division III Senior Woman Administrators from across the country to attend the SWA program. Fellow conference SWA Heather Davis, from the University of New England, was also in attendance.
The senior woman administrator is the highest-ranking female in each NCAA athletics department. The purpose of the SWA designation is to promote meaningful representation of women in the leadership and management of college sports. In 1981, the NCAA membership voted to create the SWA designation to ensure women were involved in the male-dominated administration of college athletics.
"The Senior Woman Administrator program was a remarkable educational opportunity to connect with other SWA's across the country, learn from remarkable speakers on how to maximize the SWA role, and also how I can positively impact Curry College in this role," said Palatino. "I want to sincerely thank Louise McCleary, NCAA Managing Director of Division III for providing me with this once in a lifetime opportunity."
While in Atlanta, she extended her stay to attend the 2019 NCAA Inclusion Forum. This event was the eighth-annual gathering which provided the sharing of knowledge, engaging dialogue, and practical takeaways to empower attendees on the efforts on equity and diversity and inclusion initiatives on their respective campuses. Palatino attended sessions on:
"Building the Dream Team: Pursuing our Passion for Inclusion" by Derek Greenfield.
"LGBTQ Foundational Knowledge" by Nevin Caple and Chris Mosier.
"The Next Generation: Student-Athletes Leading for LGBTQ Equality" by Pat Griffin, Xavier Colvin, Jordan Keesler, Jasmyn Lindsay, and Emet Marwell.
"The Skin We're In: Intentional Conversations about Race, Ethnicity, Identity, and Allyship in Athletics" led by Victoria Farris, Jen Fry, and Paul Tokunaga.
"The NCAA Inclusion Forum provided an opportunity to learn about the difference between diversity and inclusion. While diversity is having people from all different backgrounds, inclusion is creating a safe space for everyone to feel unified and welcome. The forum provided practical application on how we, administrators in higher education and in athletics, can create a welcoming atmosphere in which everyone matters and stories can be both shared and heard," said Palatino.
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