Press Release

July 28, 2009

White Selected to Attend NCAA Leadership Conferences

MARYVILLE, Mo.-Northwest Missouri State Director of Marketing Morris White '05 has been selected to participate in two leadership conferences to be hosted by the NCAA this fall.

White is one of 23 athletic administrative professionals selected to attend the NCAA Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males and Females (Institute) which will meet for five sessions in Indianapolis throughout the 2009-10 academic year. The first session is set to be held Aug. 13-16.

White will also serve as a facilitator for the Division II Leadership Academy to be held Sept. 24-28 in Boston and Feb. 18-22 in Portland, Ore. He'll become the first person to serve the Academy as a student-athlete (2004), administrator (2009) and facilitator.

"It's humbling to have been selected to participate in the minority institute and leadership academy," said White. "I'm grateful and look forward to the experiences. I've heard many positive things regarding these opportunities and I know they will aid my professional development as an athletic administrator."

The Institute was designed to address the critical shortage of senior-level professionals of color in athletics administrative staff at NCAA-member institutions and within conference offices. The Institute prepares diverse leaders through a 12-month leadership training and skills development experience and enhances job-related competencies in selected areas through completion of four professional development sessions, practical work and a week-long intensive workshop.

The Academy is a weekend-long opportunity for student-athletes, coaches, administrators and faculty to develop their leadership skills, become familiar with the Division II experience and plan for action. In a forum intended to foster partnerships, participants are equipped to be active leaders and change agents within their campus, conference and community spheres of influence.