On January 30th, the Southwestern Conference hosted its second annual Leadership Conference, which drew a substantial turnout that included six guest speakers and over 100 student-athletes from the 10 schools in the SWC. The conference was dedicated to opening the eyes of the athletes in attendance to the worthwhile benefits of embracing a life of leadership.
This year’s list of guest speakers were:
Victoria Guggenbiller – Occupational Therapist, Health/Wellness Sciences Adjunct Faculty, Community Program Coordinator, Athletic Fitness Coach
Commander Jay Hennessey – Cleveland Indians Vice President of Learning and Development for Baseball Operations. Hennessey serves as resource for leaders at all levels to continuously improve through leadership development and learning management initiatives.
Dr. Alan Kolp – Baldwin Wallace University Professor – Dr. Alan Kolp is holder of the Baldwin Wallace chair in faith and life and professor of religion. He is also the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) faculty representative at BWU and is teaching a leadership colloquium for student athletes.
Michael Reghi – American television play-by-play announcer and radio sports talk show host.
Jerry Snodgrass – Ohio High School Athletic Association Executive Director. Snodgrass served as a teacher, coach and administrator at schools including Defiance, Morral Ridgedale, Bryan and Findlay, where he served for 25 years, including 16 as athletic director. He has been on the OHSAA staff since 2008, first as an Assistant Director and then Director of Sport Management.
Tom Withers – Sports writer for the Associated Press and assistant coach for Westlake Girls Basketball.
Christine Cancian and Caroline Kessler – Baldwin Wallace University Recreation Department