The need for college athletic leaders to engage with members of Congress has never been greater. Exactly how to do that was the focus of a panel discussion Wednesday at the NCAA convention in Phoenix.
Several hundred university sports leaders gathered for an educational session on the subject. The discussion also focused on the NCAA’s four priorities for federal legislation: protecting the name, image and likeness of college athletes and their families; ensuring that student-athletes do not become employees of their universities; provide a pathway for the NCAA to govern college sports without the threat of litigation; and preempt state law to provide a level playing field for student-athletes.
Panelists discussed how they have advocated with legislators for why these priorities are important to the future of college athletics. The panelists were Davaris Cheeks, a football player from Concordia-St. Paul and member of the Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee; Southwest Minnesota State athletic director Jen Flowers; Angel Mason, athletic director at Berry; and Charles McClelland, commissioner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Robert Gibbs, partner at Bully Pulpit Interactive, where he focuses on corporate reputation, executive communications and crisis response, moderated the discussion. (See biography below)
Through the discussion, the panelists aimed to provide participants with concrete ways to engage their representatives in Congress by sharing a variety of examples of advocacy work. These examples ranged from writing letters to representatives, hosting members of Congress on campus, or visiting Washington to discuss with them the realities that some of the current legal threats pose to college sports in the three divisions. Participants were reminded of the resources available to guide them through this process. Panelists emphasized to attendees the urgent need to get involved in these efforts and the impact that sharing their voices can have.
The discussion
The panelists
Davaris Cheeks, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference SAAC Division II representative and football student-athlete, Concordia-St. Paul
Davaris Cheeks serves on the NCAA Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as a representative of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. He also serves on the NCAA Division II Presidents’ Council, the highest governing body in the Division II governance structure.
A native of Aurora, Illinois, Cheeks is a football student-athlete at Concordia-St. Paul holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in leadership and development at Concordia-St. Paul. Cheeks served as the school’s student body president in 2022-23 and recently completed a marketing and business development internship at Loft Orbital, an aerospace engineering company based in San Francisco.
Jen Flowers, Director of Athletics, Southwest Minnesota State
Jen Flowers is in her second year as the athletic director at Southwest Minnesota State. She was appointed to this position in May 2022 and is the first female athletic director in the university’s history to oversee both the women’s and men’s programs.
Flowers came to Southwest Minnesota State after serving three seasons as commissioner of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and spent 16 years in administrative roles at the intercollegiate level.
Flowers was a four-year volleyball student-athlete at Winona State, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in 2003. In 2005, she earned a master’s degree in education, recreation, parks and recreation from Minnesota.
Angel Mason, athletic director, Berry
Angel Mason was named director of athletics at Berry in June 2019. She is responsible for overseeing 22 varsity programs and all athletic department operations. Mason also serves as president of the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators and is a board member of the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association Executive Committee.
She previously served as senior associate athletic director and senior administrator at Pomona-Pitzer. Prior to that, Mason served as associate athletic director, senior administrator and physical education teacher at Hamilton. Mason began his athletics career at Vassar as an assistant women’s basketball coach, an opportunity afforded to him through the NCAA’s Ethnic Minority and Women’s Internship Grant.
Mason earned a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies and a minor in English from Butler, where she played basketball for the Bulldogs. She earned her Master of Science degree in sports management while beginning her career at Vassar. Mason earned a doctorate in education in administration, where her research focused on the underrepresentation of African American women in NCAA Division III athletics.
Charles McClelland, commissioner, Southwestern Athletic Conference
Charles F. McClelland was named the sixth commissioner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference in the summer of 2018. McClelland currently oversees a conference of 12 member schools encompassing 18 sports that compete at the NCAA Division I and Championship Subdivision levels. soccer.
In addition to his duties in the league office, McClelland was selected to be a member of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee in March 2019 and is serving as chair of the committee for the 2023-24 season. Before coming to the SWAC, McClelland served as vice president of intercollegiate athletics at Texas Southern. Prior to that, McClelland was the athletic director at Prairie View A&M for seven years.
McClelland earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in business administration from Prairie View A&M. He received his doctorate in higher education administration from Texas A&M in 2011. McClelland is a former member of the NCAA Leadership Council.
