LEWISTON, Maine -- Bates College's Jess Duff and Joe Vari have been selected to participate in the NCAA Leadership Academy Workshop, an eight-month undertaking that begins virtually this week. Bates is one of 18 institutions selected to take part, including five from Division III.

Funded by the NCAA, the Leadership Academy Workshop (LAW) is designed to empower athletics administrators (participants) with the knowledge and plan to build a sustainable leadership development program. Not a one-size-fits-all experience, LAW utilizes best practices and lessons learned so participants can tailor their leadership development program to their unique campus needs.

Duff is in her second year as Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Services and Internal Operations at Bates. Vari is in his second season as the Bobcats' head coach of women's soccer.

"We are honored that Jess and Joe have been selected to represent Bates College and Division III in this year's NCAA Leadership Academy Workshop," said Director of Athletics Jason Fein. "It's been a goal of ours to build a vibrant leadership development program on campus, and we are looking forward to learning from Jess and Joe as they learn from some wonderful peers and educators in that space this year. It will certainly be another way that we can best serve our student-athletes and coaches as we continue to navigate these uncertain times."

The Leadership Academy Workshop is a signature program of NCAA Leadership Development, which provides education and training for college athletes, coaches and administrators to assist with the transition to life after college sports, to foster the growth of the next generation of leaders and to encourage athletics administrators to translate lessons learned through competition. 

The workshop is described as an 8-month commitment and will consist of three learning modules. These learning modules (Module 1: Foundations, Module 2: Applications, and Module 3: Implementation), will each be comprised of 4 weeks of focused engagement on a critical area of leadership program development.  Participants will meet once weekly during each module and should expect to engage with members of their cohort throughout the program.

The 18 institutions selected to participate in this impactful virtual offering include:

American International College, Stephanie Jarosik & Thomas Pool
Bates College, Jessica Duff & Joe Vari
Bethune-Cookman University, Kayla Lee & Ryan Griffin
Franklin & Marshall College, Brad Brubaker & Kirsten Richter
King's College, Jessica Huda & Megan Mundy
Morgan State University, Chad Allen & Kimberly Ross-Watkins
Pepperdine University, Erin Carroll & James Gehrels
Providence College, Jennifer Cunningham & Nick Sailor
Rutgers University, Jackie Kelly & Marc Dauphin
Saint Michael's College, Madelena DeThomasis & Meggan Dulude
San José State University, Annalisa Duarte & Tobruk Blaine
Savannah State University, Daijah Freeman & Marissa Campbell
University of Kansas, Benjamin Wilson & George Midgett
University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amanda Ekabutr & Elizabeth Smith Hamlet
Wabash College, Ayanna Tweedy & Samantha Current
Washington State University, Derrick Mitchell & Shelby McKay
West Chester University, Kellianne Milliner & Madlyn Evans
Willamette University, Annie Longtain & Leslie Shevlin