“Culture” is more than a buzzword in sports. Culture is the foundation of teams and departments. This event features invited speakers with extensive experience building and sustaining high-impact cultures as sport coaches and/or administrators. This event will occur in a moderated panel and small breakout session format. During the moderated panel discussion, guest speakers will share their professional stories, describe what a high-impact culture means to them, and discuss challenges, lessons learned, and practical advice for cultivating and maintaining a high-impact culture in athletics. After the moderated panel, attendees can connect with each invited speaker in a more close-knit group to build their knowledge and skills for practical application. Breakout sessions will also include the perspectives of current student-athletes and/or alumni who have experienced the high-impact culture.

Panelists:

Naomi Graves, G’85
Naomi Graves is the women’s basketball head coach at Springfield College. She has served in this role for 34 seasons along with serving as an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Education and Health Education. Since joining the Division III ranks in 1995, her squads have won six New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) championships, while she has been honored with three NEWMAC Coach of the Year awards. Most recently, Graves earned her 600th career win and is the 13th active Division III women’s basketball coach to reach this milestone in her successful career as a teacher-coach and impactful mentor. She earned her master’s degree in Physical Education from Springfield College in 1985.

Keith Bugbee, G’84
Keith Bugbee is the men’s lacrosse head coach at Springfield College. He is in his 42^nd season and will retire at the conclusion of this year. He is also an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Education and Health Education. Under Bugbee’s leadership, the men’s lacrosse program has established itself as one of the top programs in the country, producing more than 400 wins. Bugbee’s teams have competed in 34 post-season tournaments, including 24 NCAA tournaments, and won a national championship in 1994. He earned his master’s degree in Physical Education from Springfield College in 1984.

Heather Gilmour, EdD
Heather Gilmour is an associate professor of Sport Management and chair of the Department of Sport Management and Recreation at Springfield College. She currently serves as the faculty athletics representative for the Department of Athletics and has been in the role for three years. Prior to her transition into the classroom, Gilmour spent 13 years working within college athletics as a Division II and III coach and administrator. In 2013, she earned her Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Howard Hinds ’00
Howard Hinds is the men’s and women’s swimming head coach and assistant professor of Physical Education at Springfield College. Before taking on the head coach role, Hinds served as the full-time assistant coach for the men’s and women’s swimming programs beginning in 2022, and made an immediate impact on the programs. Hinds was a standout student-athlete at Springfield College and a 2020 Athletic Hall of Fame class member. A six-time All-America honoree, he was named New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Year twice. Hinds is also a two-time Olympian, competing for Netherlands Antilles in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. Hinds earned his bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Springfield College in 2000.

For more information, contact Jill Kochanek, director of the Athletic Leadership master’s program, at jkochanek@springfield.edu.

Launched in spring 2011, the Athletic Leadership Series is presented by the Athletic Leadership Master’s Program.

A Wellness Passport Event