Leadership Amidst College Sports Turbulence: Tamica Smith Jones, COO of Kennesaw State Athletics

02:16

Dave Almy

Welcome to the podcast and let's get started. First, for people who may be unfamiliar with Kennesaw State University. Right. So can you give us a tour guide's review of the school? What should people know about it in general and then athletics specifically?

02:39

Tamika Smith Jones

community College. Founded in: 1963

03:02

Dave Almy

It's getting real.

03:04

Tamika Smith Jones

Yeah, it's real. It's real. We've had a lot of Division 2 championships over the years. We've been in Division 1 for over a decade and have had as much success in Division 1. So 18 men and women's sports, over 450 student athletes. High academic institution, largest public institution in the state of Georgia that can go between us and. And another institution I won't name.

03:26

Dave Almy

We don't talk about those folks on this podcast.

03:29

Tamika Smith Jones

We don't, we don't. But 45,000 students.

03:33

Dave Almy

Oh gosh, I had no idea it was that big. Yeah.

03:35

Tamika Smith Jones

autiful campus that merged in: 2015

03:47

Dave Almy

Okay.

03:48

Tamika Smith Jones

Which is a near. Was a nearby campus in Marietta. So it really expanded our footprint and provided us a stronger academic focus for engineering and technology, which is really housed on that campus. They had sports, so they have facilities. Actually right now we're playing baseball games there because we are renovating a new baseball facility here on our main campus.

04:06

Dave Almy

Pretty handy.

04:07

Tamika Smith Jones

Yeah. So about 150 undergrad, graduate and doctoral degree programs across all disciplines. A dynamic university.

04:16

Dave Almy

Wow. Okay, so this is a big, consequential adjacent to a metro, huge Metro Area, Division 1 competing, high growth university. So I guess that kind of makes the answer to the next question fairly self evident because you were the athletic director at UC Riverside for five years prior to this. So, you know, I believe you were the first female AD in the state of California.

04:47

Tamika Smith Jones

Yes, the first full time in the state at the Division 1 level. I didn't leave the last. I made that imprint and we've got more since then. But yes. Which a heavy task.

04:59

Dave Almy

I kind of find it amazing that you were the first one, but I guess that's sort of the legacy that you've had as far as being in those opportunities to create new visions and new opportunities for yourself and others that follow you. But so five years at Riverside, what drew you across the country to Kennesaw State? I mean, obviously just given the scale and scope of the university we just talked about, certainly there has to be an appeal there. But was there something more to that?

05:26

Tamika Smith Jones

Yes. And for correction, I was the first black woman to be in that position. There was, I know many others. I know Sandy Barber was at Cal for a while. One of my favorite people in the whole world. But yeah, the transition from Riverside, first of all, just big shout out to University of California Riverside Chancellor Kim Wilcox, who's still there Amazing man. Really had a heart for college athletics as a first time chancellor. So that was beautiful. Always working in tandem with a first time chancellor and a first time athletic director. In that space, we have to say.

06:00

Dave Almy

Go Highlanders for sure.

06:02

Tamika Smith Jones

That's for sure. He was very supportive. He understood what I could bring to elevate that program and gave me a lot of tools and resources to be able to do that. And they're still thriving and competing at a high level to this day, but Atlanta's my hometown. So really what happened was Covid happened. It was during.

06:21

Dave Almy

It's amazing how many conversations I'm still having today where Covid is this inflection point for people's careers. I mean, I guess it's no surprise given how monumental it was.

06:30

Tamika Smith Jones

Absolutely. And so I was far away from home with small kids. California was hit, you know, terribly hard. We were very conservative. We were pretty much on lockdown. I was doing a lot of my business back in Atlanta because were working via zoom and virtually. And so Georgia was wide open. And so that's how I came across this opportunity at Kennesaw. They opened a new position, which was the athletic chief operating officer with a vision for the campus to move to the next level in sport, to have a new strategic plan soon, and to, you know, do something they hadn't done, build new facilities and just had such a bold vision. And I got called about it. Was I interested? Coming out of the adc, being a number two, I had done that before, so it wasn't a big deal for me.

07:18

Tamika Smith Jones

And like they say, it's no place like home. So my mom had prayed for me to come home for about seven years since I was on that coast. But just a tremendous vision and leadership that I got a chance to come and visit the campus, got a chance to meet the executive staff, the president, the athletic director. It just. I just couldn't pass it up.

07:39

Dave Almy

I know you're a faithful person, so. But it must feel like there's a certain, you know, if you want to call it serendipity or a certain plan out ahead of you have that opportunity to. The job just kind of opens up and they reach out to you. There must be a certain feeling of just going where I'm guided.

07:58

Tamika Smith Jones

Dave, you. You must be a man of faith, because I definitely am a woman of faith, and I do believe that there is a predetermined plan out there for me, and I just try to follow it. You know, God knows I'll make some moves, but I try not to get in front of him and definitely try not to misstep. So, you know, this. This. The timing of it was perfect. You know, the place was perfect. And the vision was just, you know, something that I thought, I can make a tremendous impact. And. And I've been fortunate to. To have been here for four. Four and a half years now.

08:28

Dave Almy

Well, let's talk about the current role for a second. Right? Because. And I. As I had talked to when were getting ready to do this, I mean, I did read on the website that your. Your job description. So I'm gonna. I'm gonna go through it here pretty quick. Very quickly. You have to go through it quickly because if I spent time on it'd take a week.

08:43

Tamika Smith Jones

Okay.

08:44

Dave Almy

But here we go. Here's. Here's what the website says about your current activities. Okay? Overseas strategic planning initiatives, departmental policies, game operations, budgets, scheduling facilities, and capital projects. Now, by any definition, that's a pretty broad portfolio of responsibilities. Right? So how does someone in that role prioritize? Right. So how do you. How do you put things on the front burner? Because as we'll get into in a bit, it's obviously very dynamic time in college sports, but how do you do that? Like, when you look at something that broad, what's. What's the skill set that you're bringing to the table that helps you manage that?

09:24

Tamika Smith Jones

Look, it's my mojo. I love it. I mean, as simple as that.

09:28

Dave Almy

It's all mojo related.

09:29

Tamika Smith Jones

Hey, as a mother, I multitask every day. I'm just throwing balls up and making sure nothing falls. So. But most seriously, I definitely have a diverse portfolio. I think that just speaks volumes to the work that I've done over 25 years in this career I've done. I've been a former coach, I've been a student athlete. I've been an athletic assistant. You know, been in the athletic director seat. So, you know, there's a lot of.

09:51

Dave Almy

Things that, you know, none of this was unfamiliar.

09:54

Tamika Smith Jones

Exactly. And that's the way I think that they were able to frame it in the way they did and be able to hand off some of the things that other people were actually trying to do or maybe, you know, doing or there were transitions. And so really how I prioritize it is, you know, my job is to carry the athletic director's vision forward. So whatever. Whatever he wants me to do any given day. And we meet periodically, you know, a couple of times a day, but definitely every, you know, a couple of days or so to, you know, just Focus, reset. I ask questions. I'm curious. You know, I'm attentive to him as a servant. You know, what's. What's on your radar? What can I take off your plate? What do you need me to focus on? This is what I'm doing.

10:31

Tamika Smith Jones

I have a quick sheet that organizes me, where I've got things compartmentalized as a chief operating officer, as an executive staff person, campus leader, and as a program administrator that's dealing with sports. And so I have these buckets on my whiteboard here. And really, you know, that's how I split my portfolio. And every day, you know, I'm working at a high level with my athletic director and executive staff. And I'm also anticipating needs and removing hurdles for coaches, student athletes, and staff members. You know, managing the budget helps me be able to be aware of all the things that are happening in the department. So it's a lot, you know, there are a lot of blind spots. Yeah, there are a lot of blind spots. But, you know, it's my job to remove those hurdles, speak to those blind spots.

11:20

Tamika Smith Jones

Coaches up, you know, help aid those unit managers. And every day is a day I'm involved in recruiting athletes, fundraising, game day operations, scheduling, travel, professional development, training. Because we still have to keep training our staff for different things, especially with the new revenue share models and things. I mean, that was a whole nother budget fund model that we had to figure out and learn and then tell our coaches.

11:47

Dave Almy

When you think about the role of chief operating officer and how you best work with the athletic director, is the athletic director setting the vision and then the operating officer executing on that vision, Is that the ideal setup?

12:02

Tamika Smith Jones

That is. And then the athletic director can become more external. Yeah, and then I'm more internal dealing with. So everything comes to me and, you know, my athletic director say, have you talked to Tamika about it? Because before I even touch it, I want to make sure she's already vetted it. I'm giving him a briefing, already on it. He can make the decision or some things. I have full autonomy. I make the decision. We keep going. So I think. I think it's been a great model. I've seen more programs take on that model over the years. You know, there's a deputy that, you know, really is kind of number three, and that chief operating officer is the number two closest to, you know, managing all things. And it's. It's a.

12:41

Tamika Smith Jones

It's a huge, you know, job because it's internal campus partners as well as your internal Department. And it's also campus. I mean, it's also conference.

12:50

Dave Almy

Yeah.

12:51

Tamika Smith Jones

So I am the liaison with our conference. So anything that goes from the. From the NCAA to the president to the athletic director, I get as well. And so it's just I. If I see it, I'm executing it. So the president sees it, the athletic director sees it, but they're counting on me. That I'm executing.

13:09

Dave Almy

Yeah. Pull the levers.

13:12

Tamika Smith Jones

That's. That's correct. And just telling them where they're needed in that process.

13:16

Dave Almy

Well, I'm assuming then, like, somebody in your role is. And I can see why they created the role. Right. Because, like we've talked about, this is such an incredible moment in college sports. Right. It's a time of incredible dynamic change. Right. Nil. Realignments, transfer portals. I mean, all this terminology that we never, ever used with college sport didn't even exist five years ago is all now part of this experience. So someone who's been working in the industry for over 20 years, what's your perspective on the last couple few years of round college sports? Like, what opportunities and challenges does this present for the Kennesaw States of the world?

13:57

Tamika Smith Jones

Yeah, it. Listen, we have experienced every piece of the challenge. I mean, the transport portal impacts our campus. I mean, we're sometimes a feeder school for the Power Fours now.

14:09

Dave Almy

Yeah.

14:09

Tamika Smith Jones

Because we develop them, we get them.

14:12

Dave Almy

You get a great player, and it's hard to keep them.

14:14

Tamika Smith Jones

And then we win the championship for our conference for the first time in school history during my tenure, and we can't keep a kid. They will go off to a Power 4 and make, you know, $100,000 that we can't afford to pay them.

14:26

Dave Almy

Right.

14:27

Tamika Smith Jones

You know, we are part of. We've been a part of at least two conference realignments since I've been here four years. So you never know who you're going to be, what your schedule is going to look like. How do you budget for that? You know, you hope you can keep a core together. You hope you have peer institutions that are, you know, high research competitive. And Conference USA has done a really good job of that. And we want it to be a part of a national landscape. So were in the asan, so that was more Florida Southern Schools. Regional, Regional. Regional. Exactly. And so now the landscape is exactly what we want because we get those that broadcast, we get to recruit in those areas, we get to draw the students, you know, and fans and donors.

15:10

Dave Almy

And supporters, really elevating the profile of the department in a way that prevents real. Real benefit.

15:16

Tamika Smith Jones

Exactly. So I think there's been challenges, but I think, you know, institution like Kennesaw State, that is known. I mean, our mascot is scrappy. We're known to, you know, to get.

15:27

Dave Almy

In and figure it out. So Scrappy.

15:31

Tamika Smith Jones

Yeah, but it's changed. It's really changed the dynamics of how our coaches recruit and how they coach their student athletes, how. How much they have to spend emotionally and supportively, you know, retaining the students that they recruit. They recruit them every year now.

15:46

Dave Almy

Right. It totally changes the way they interact with their players. Right. I mean, it's like they. They have to. When a student. Like, in the previous iteration of college sports, they would expect that they would be around for three, four years. And now it's like a constant renewal. So do coaches come to you and say. And help develop plans for that? Are you relying on them? So you have that interaction with coaches?

16:11

Tamika Smith Jones

So that's the program administrative part. So I'm the program administrator for men's and women's basketball. And really, it is a general manager.

16:17

Dave Almy

Yeah.

16:17

Tamika Smith Jones

You know, like. Like in pro sports, I mean, you're doing it all. You're meeting the parents, you're recruiting them, you're getting them here. Now you're trying to retain them. You're trying to figure out, you know, revenue share, cost of attendance, any. Any additional resources that you can give them to make sure they're, you know, sufficient, and they're having a great experience. And what I do plays a huge part in that, because coaches can't do it all. You got to let the coaches be able to. Coaches on things that we can't do. The X and O's the product that you're putting on the court. But I have to. I'm sitting in practice and I'm traveling with teams. I'm talking to parents. You know, I'm setting up, you know, donor engagements and activities to, you know, make them feel, you know, loved.

16:57

Dave Almy

And there is no off switch to this job.

16:59

Tamika Smith Jones

No, it's not.

17:01

Dave Almy

I mean, it is a pretty remarkable cadence with which you have to attack it. And I mean, when you think about your time at Riverside versus now, because that kind of is the moment where things really started to change. I mean, how is the role completely different now than what you experienced it previously? Or did you see it sort of evolving that way?

17:26

Tamika Smith Jones

I've seen an. Evolving as an athletic director and even as a number two at UTSA and. And certainly at. At UC Riverside as an athletic director, I saw my role as an athletic Director becoming way more political than I wanted it to be.

17:39

Dave Almy

Yeah, yeah.

17:40

Tamika Smith Jones

I. I have a master's degree in public administration, but boy, you know, I've needed to use it every day.

17:45

Dave Almy

For sure they could be using it that much in this role.

17:48

Tamika Smith Jones

But I also have my degrees in. In business administration, which I love. And so I think that has become, you know, really the forefront of athletic director roles. It's not. It's no longer the old coaches that could get in the roles. And I was a coach, so they're great leaders too. You really have to have some high business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit, which I love.

18:10

Dave Almy

Right.

18:10

Tamika Smith Jones

Which makes this position as a COO and as an athletic director, I think, very attractive and fun.

18:16

Dave Almy

Do you think it's because of the visibility of the role? I think most people can probably name the athletic director of a university before they can name the president of a university. Does that. Is that visibility what makes it such a political experience?

18:29

Tamika Smith Jones

Yes, yes. And it's expected to be out in the community, out on campus, you know, shaking hands and kissing babies, you know, all the town and gowns, which. Which is a part of the role that I didn't necessarily want to have to do. I really wanted to say, true to the core of the student athlete experience and engaging at that level.

18:51

Dave Almy

Well, you coached too, right? And so I've coached in the past too. And I mean, I think every coach goes into it because they want to work with young people and they love teaching and seeing the development and seeing, you know, kids, you know, fall down and pick themselves back up and then finding success, there's a real joy in that. Does the transition to more of an administrator role make that more difficult for you or you still, because you're part of the overall program, is that still wound tightly around what you're doing?

19:20

Tamika Smith Jones

It can certainly make it more difficult. But I think when you. When you have an organizational structure, like most high majors, power fours, for sure, they have program administrators. So there is an administrator that is designated to a sport, and so that allows you to get to know that sport, their student athletes, those coaches. You do the coaches evaluation. So you really build. Build relationships with. With those programs. So I think that keeps you closer, you know, to your passion, points to your.

19:47

Dave Almy

To your North Star, the wise.

19:49

Tamika Smith Jones

That's right.

19:50

Dave Almy

Yeah, absolutely. I read a great quote from you, and I'm gonna steal it, admittedly, so I'm just letting you know right now, I'm already stealing it. But you said, I am most proud of being a Person and not a position.

20:05

Tamika Smith Jones

That's right.

20:06

Dave Almy

So I want to spend some time teasing that out, if you would. So could you please elaborate on that quote and how it informs the way you lead the department and the people you work with?

20:20

Tamika Smith Jones

Yes. So I've got my core values. It's really centered around my faith, my family, and whatever I'm doing, I want to be enjoying and having fun. So those three Fs, right, that's not.

20:31

Dave Almy

Coming across at all.

20:35

Tamika Smith Jones

That's just me. I like to show up fully every day. And so being a person and not just a position, sometimes we can get in positions and we just point and we don't participate, we don't engage, we don't have deeper relationships with people. And I try to spend a lot more time doing that. It's just my heartstring. I love mission driven work. You know, I love impact work. I really appreciate my whole journey. So my diverse portfolio, like, you know, I don't dismiss any of it. It's, it's made me who I am and I think it connects with a lot of people. And so I just try to live as an illustration of hope, try to, you know, shine, you know, the little light that I have.

21:18

Tamika Smith Jones

And if someone that, you know, may be trying to find their way in sports, in a career in college and higher education, if they reach out to me, I want them to know they're getting a person that, you know, is humble and will share and give, you know, all that I can to set them up for success. Because, you know, someone did it for me.

21:37

Dave Almy

The person who helped recruit them is the same person they're going to see day in, day out.

21:41

Tamika Smith Jones

That's right.

21:42

Dave Almy

I mean, there's a lot to be said from getting out from behind the desk.

21:44

Tamika Smith Jones

That's right.

21:45

Dave Almy

And pitching in and helping out and not being. I mean, you're the number two in a rapidly growing, high profile university athletic department. It's pretty easy to direct rather than participate. Do you think that's starting to encapsulate that idea of person versus position?

22:04

Tamika Smith Jones

Absolutely. And it's difficult at times because there's a lot of things to do. So, you know, you're delegating. Yeah, you know, but, but what I try to do is absolutely focus on doing the things that I know only I can do best or only that my director wants me to do. And when I get those lines clear, then I empower other people. I empower them. I hand things off to people, but I help them too. I Don't just hand it to them and let them figure it out. That's the pointing. I try to participate with them, and it allows them to grow as well.

22:39

Dave Almy

So now, as a former athlete, you played basketball and cross country. I think, in your own college experience. I'm assuming you're excited by the growth of women's sports and the new opportunities for women athletes. Right. Every day you pick up the paper and something new is happening.

22:54

Tamika Smith Jones

So exciting.

22:56

Dave Almy

How do you feel like that growth in viewership, dollars and so on in women's sports can impact Kennesaw State? Right. What's the impact going to be going forward, not only for the athletic program, particularly around women's sports, but for the university as a whole? What does that opportunity look like to you?

23:18

Tamika Smith Jones

Yes. So today we had an article that was released by our fantastic communications team that shared how our attendance, ticket sales, group sales have all just skyrocketed.

23:33

Dave Almy

It's amazing.

23:34

Tamika Smith Jones

And you just love to see that for the men and for the women, our students are coming out more. Our convocation center is rocking. It's just a great environment. And really, you know, I wrote a book called A Ball and a Dream. And it shares my story of growing up, you know, playing sports and just having a dream to go to college and, you know, change the trajectory of my, you know, life and family for generations. And, you know, that's what I think that is happening right now in the landscape is that there's just so many opportunities in sport for girls, for women in careers, that they're gonna see it, you know, up close and personal. You know, 20 years ago, you wasn't seeing a lot. I went to school in the 90s.

24:21

Dave Almy

Oh, yeah.

24:21

Tamika Smith Jones

So I don't even. My parents probably didn't see me at all on television.

24:25

Dave Almy

Tamika. I went to school in the 80s. I'm not even sure there was women's sports back then. I have to almost free.

24:32

Tamika Smith Jones

Title nine, you know, time. But now, you know, our women, they play every game on ESPN Network.

24:39

Dave Almy

Yeah.

24:39

Tamika Smith Jones

And then we get content that goes on CBS Sports. We had a women's basketball two sports center top 10.

24:47

Dave Almy

Oh, man.

24:47

Tamika Smith Jones

Can you believe that?

24:48

Dave Almy

The gold standard right there.

24:50

Tamika Smith Jones

Kennesaw State. The gold standard. So it's a fantastic time. I mean, I served on the women's basketball committee for the NCAA for five years prior to me coming. Coming to Kennesaw. And to see what were able to do with the foundation that we had and continue to build on that, I go to the Final Four women's Final Fours every year to just see what's happening with the WNBA and now how much more opportunity women have to go pro soccer. You know, my daughter plays soccer, so, you know, very passionate about that. It's just a great time for women's sports. And the support that we get from men, I always try to highlight that because, you know, sometimes it could seem like there's a competition. And in my role, I look at equity in everything we do. You know, we got men's and women's basketball.

25:38

Tamika Smith Jones

I've got to make sure that, you know, we're paying market value for our men and our women's basketball team coaches and staff. You know, we're giving them the same budgets if they're traveling to the same places.

25:49

Dave Almy

Right.

25:49

Tamika Smith Jones

You know, so I think that, you know, it just goes to show there's room for all of us and that women's sports is really on the rise.

25:57

Dave Almy

So clearly on the rise. Clearly going to have impact for the university. And the same thing like we talked about earlier, there's been a, you know, recently you're transitioning from FCS to fbs, right. So the football team is now playing in the Football Bowl Division Subdivision. So can you provide. That's obviously a huge move for any university.

26:14

Tamika Smith Jones

Let me, let me just say that we were in the ASAN and we would make maybe in revenue share about $200,000 or so divvied up amongst our teams in the league moving to the FBS and Conference USA. We moved to 2 million.

26:30

Dave Almy

Yeah, that's a different, that's different.

26:32

Tamika Smith Jones

So, so it's business. You know, it's like if we want to get, be in the game and compete, we've got to make some of these, you know, make some of these moves and hat off to our president and our athletic director and the team of us that were involved in those, you know, decisions, because they're not easy because you have coaches that are used to being very competitive in one league, and then all of a sudden we switch into another. They still got the players from another league.

27:00

Dave Almy

Now they've got to, you know, it's a different animal.

27:03

Tamika Smith Jones

It's a different animal.

27:04

Dave Almy

So clearly a financial decision, right? I mean, a 10x rev share opportunity.

27:11

Tamika Smith Jones

Very much a business decision, but also elevating our national prominence and profile is a part of our strategic plan.

27:18

Dave Almy

So let's talk about that. What is the role of the football program in elevating the profile of the university?

27:29

Tamika Smith Jones

Absolutely. Is dollars and cents is male. Population is. You know, athletics in many campuses is the front porch. So it's just a lot of visibility. You know, the media rights, the revenue share. I mean, we don't. We don't get to do the revenue share if we don't have football.

27:48

Dave Almy

Right.

27:48

Tamika Smith Jones

And playing it at the highest level. First bowl game, Kennesaw State wins, man, you know.

27:54

Dave Almy

Yeah.

27:56

Tamika Smith Jones

I don't even know what they're going to be saying about us then, because it's just going to be unbelievable transformation of a program and a community that's really bought in. I mean, this is Cobb County's university, so they really come out and support. You've got donors that don't, Hadn't. Didn't even attend Kennesaw State that are, you know, all in. I mean, it gives us an opportunity to get into, you know, private, you know, equity ventures, you know, just different models of financial growth that we can experience.

28:24

Dave Almy

You know, it just opens up so many doors.

28:26

Tamika Smith Jones

It does. It does.

28:28

Dave Almy

And it's interesting, I think, so many schools, right. Obviously, this is a time of great tumult in the. In the funding of college athletic departments, and there's a balance out here in California. Some schools have eliminated their athletic departments completely, and I think those are the ones that look athletics as an expense.

28:48

Tamika Smith Jones

Yeah.

28:48

Dave Almy

And I think where you are and where a lot of universities find success is when you look at it as an investment.

28:53

Tamika Smith Jones

That's right.

28:54

Dave Almy

Because it does not. And if you look at it from the media, just the dollars and cents thing. Okay, yeah, it can look like an expense, but there's all the soft value that comes along with it, too, that you need to take into account. And it's clearly what Kennesaw has done in this regard.

29:07

Tamika Smith Jones

All right. Our valuation now is off the charts. I mean, you know, and we. We started doing those when we won the. Went to March Madness, and, you know, the enrollment peaked. You know, more. More sponsorships, you know, were in, More sponsors, were interested, you know, just was able to build our portfolio and expand in every area. Huge partnerships that were doing great business with us, wanted to do more. So we get into a relationship with our Medical School and WellStar Health Services, and, you know, they give us, you know, 20 more million investment to build a sports complex that will help our student athletes develop, but also help them with research. So it just, you know, it just really, you know, expands the opportunity that otherwise we would be limited.

29:59

Dave Almy

Your role is vast, but it's also, I think, a role that interests a lot of people. Right. I think there's so many. I mean, I'm assuming you get calls for informational interviews and things like that on a. On a regular basis? Probably as many times as you get pop podcast requests.

30:13

Tamika Smith Jones

My students wear me out. We have a sports management program and I think every week I'm doing something for them, but I love it.

30:20

Dave Almy

All right, so let's take that then. So you're speaking to the students all the time. What's the advice that you give them? Right, Because I think they see your role and they're like, oh, I desperately want to do that.

30:29

Tamika Smith Jones

Yep.

30:30

Dave Almy

What's the guidance that you give them? How do they set themselves up for future success?

30:34

Tamika Smith Jones

Thank you for asking that, because that's really my heartbeat. As a former graduate assistant, which is where I started my administrative career. We encourage our student athletes to get into content creation and do it in off season. So if you have a soccer player that is, that wants to learn digital content or communication or something in sports information, then in their off season, we have them work within our department and learn those skills. And then, you know, when our student athletes graduate, we're a doctoral program, so we invite them to earn their master's and we have graduate assistant opportunities for them that we can pay for their grad school, give them a stipend, and then allow them to now shadow executive staff and athletic administrators, which gives them a lot of experience.

31:24

Dave Almy

Yeah, they really get an opportunity to see.

31:26

Tamika Smith Jones

They really do. And I tell them my advice to them is to volunteer until you can get an opportunity to be paid for the opportunity to develop your skills. But don't miss out on the volunteerism that's a huge part of this process. But also, grad school helps you deepen your knowledge in things and then from there your gift makes room for you. I mean, you find out you can do something. Well, you go down a lot of different paths, but we like to hire our own. We have many of our student athletes that are now on our staff as full time employees or part time employees. You know, we are in the metropolitan area, so we're able to get a lot of the corporations to come on our campus.

32:06

Tamika Smith Jones

We have all types of student development nights where we do resume building, networking nights, bring in businesses so they have a tremendous opportunity to learn and grow while they're playing sports and, you know, have an opportunity when they're done with sports to just stay put for two years, earn that next degree, get their resumes out the pile and find their way.

32:26

Dave Almy

This is actually a pretty relevant question. Right now. Because it turns out, as we talked about when we're getting ready to hit the record button, that the chair that you're sitting in right now is actually going to be empty pretty soon. You are moving on to new pastures, and I was hoping you might be able to give us a little bit of a sense of what's next for you. Tamika Smith Jones.

32:52

Tamika Smith Jones

Yeah, Dave. So you're the first to get it. I'm going to be moving from the collegiate realm. I'm going to retire from college athletics, believe it or not, and take my talents to the pros. So I'm going to the big leagues. I've been drafted.

33:08

Dave Almy

They went down and took a look and said, here's the superstar. Where are you heading? What is going to be next? Do you get.

33:14

Tamika Smith Jones

I can't tell you exactly yet because it's not public, and I couldn't risk.

33:18

Dave Almy

You know, you can't reset. Oh, you, like, you're like. I'm like some folks going to. I'm going to keep it secret.

33:24

Tamika Smith Jones

Just know. Just know it's going to be here in my hometown, Atlanta. I don't have to move addresses. I'm super excited. A great organization and in a very similar role as the. The number two for the general manager, facilities, you know, operations of protein.

33:46

Dave Almy

Oh, my goodness. This is.

33:48

Tamika Smith Jones

It's a dream job, let me just tell you.

33:50

Dave Almy

Are you feeling very energized by it? I mean, this is an audio environment, so people can't see your face, but, I mean, like, there is a vibrancy right now. You can tell you're chomping at the bit a little bit.

34:02

Tamika Smith Jones

It's divine. Just know it's divine. I know God has heard my prayers, and, you know, I. I knew that, you know, college athletics would end at some point for me. You know, I'm very entrepreneurial at heart, so, you know, just something new. I'm always making bold moves and. And just, you know, trying to find that impact, make sure I'm, you know, setting things up and. And then handing it off to someone else. And so that really makes me excited as well, to know that there's going to be something fresh here at Kennesaw, and then I can move on to another position where they've created the. The position for me.

34:35

Dave Almy

Tamika Smith Jones, there are exciting things in your future. I can't wait to see the news and maybe release this podcast right about the same time that's become more publicly available. So congratulations. I want to thank you for your time, but Before I let you go. Okay, I'm going to. I'm going to put you in the lightning round. Oh, yeah, no. That's the right response right there. This is the lightning round. This is a series of questions that I want you to please answer honestly.

35:04

Tamika Smith Jones

I know. Going to give it to me.

35:05

Dave Almy

So you're okay. You're ready. Here she is. Like, she's. She's braced. She's ready. Here we go. Tamika Smith Jones in the lighting round. Okay. Kennesaw State teams are The Owls.

35:17

Tamika Smith Jones

Yes.

35:17

Dave Almy

Please give us an owl. Fun fact.

35:21

Tamika Smith Jones

Owls are competitive.

35:25

Dave Almy

I did not know that about the Owl. They're not solitary careers. They're very competitive. They want their own territory. Okay. All right. Very good. Good to know. All right, competitive Owls, you play college basketball at both Troy and Alabama A M. If you were to play Caitlin Clark in a game of 21, what would the final score be?

35:44

Tamika Smith Jones

Caitlin Clark, man. We both would be trying to, you know, shoot the three balls. So I think I would probably go up by one by faking up three and headed straight to the basket. Yeah, I'd win by one.

35:56

Dave Almy

You won by one. Okay. It's kind of what I was going to say here, too. Only because. Only because I'm terrified to say. All right, here is another quote from you. I can multitask like nobody's business. What have you been doing while we've been recording this podcast?

36:15

Tamika Smith Jones

What have I been doing?

36:16

Dave Almy

Why would you be multitasking? Clearly, right? Because you can multitask like nobody's business. So what else have you been doing.

36:20

Tamika Smith Jones

While I really focus with you during this podcast day?

36:26

Dave Almy

I'm, like, so honored. Like, I'm not, like, knitting a blanket or anything, or, like, a full undivided attention. Like, there's no strategic plan going up on the screen next year.

36:37

Tamika Smith Jones

If I'm on a podcast or if I'm speaking publicly, I'm focused.

36:41

Dave Almy

All right, I appreciate that. All right, last one in the room.

36:44

Tamika Smith Jones

But since I'm in my office by myself, you know, it's just me today.

36:47

Dave Almy

Okay, here we do it. Last one. Here we go. Like you mentioned, you've written a book, A Ball in a Dream, and one of the reviews on Amazon refers to you as the Tony Dungy of athletics and administration. Wow. Your thoughts on whether he should be called the Tamika Smith Jones of football coaching?

37:04

Tamika Smith Jones

You already know Dave called the Tamaka Jones football coach. I'm sure he would agree. And guess what? I've met Tony Dungy. I got a picture with him and my son so great guy. Did a great job, you know. But yeah, he should be called the.

37:22

Dave Almy

Next time you circle back with him. Next time you meet, you can just make sure to let him know. Humbly, humbly. Danny Smith Jones. I appreciate the time.

37:32

Tamika Smith Jones

Thank you.