NYSPHSAA SET TO HOST FIRST EVER IN-PERSON STUDENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE IN DOWNTOWN ALBANY

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) is hosting its first-ever in-person Student Leadership Conference on Thursday, March 30^th at the Hilton in Albany.  As the association celebrates its Centennial, student-athletes from member schools will have an opportunity to attend the first formal leadership gathering.  

Current sophomores and juniors will have the opportunity to sharpen their leadership skills by listening to presentations from a variety of speakers and participating in workshops to help positively influence their teams, athletic departments, schools, and communities.

“This is an incredible opportunity we are excited to offer to our member student-athletes for the first time ever,” said Dr. Robert Zayas, Executive Director.  “Nearly 170 students are attending this conference. The workshops along with the well-reputed speakers will give students the opportunity to get in-person training and development.”

The conference kicks off at 8:30 a.m. with a keynote by Missy West, a NYSPHSAA Hall of Famer and Co-Founder of ORCA Leadership. Breakout sessions will follow, then a lunch break. The afternoon session will be highlighted by another keynote speaker, Stephanie Marquesano, Founder and President of the harris project. Other presentations will be made on College and Career Readiness by Omari Pearson of Passion to Purpose in addition to Fuel Your Game: A Winning Nutrition Plan by Christina D’Amico of Christina D’Amico Nutrition. Workshop sessions include Name, Image and Likeness with Tyler Langford from Eccker Sports and Characteristics of Servant Leadership discussions from the New York Army National Guard.

 “I am excited to meet people from around the state while also learning more ways to improve my leadership skills,” said Gianna Horen, NYSPHSAA SAAC Leader (Section VIII). “I think this will be a great benefit to all of the student-athletes attending and really look forward to hearing what the professionals will share with us that day.”

Interested students completed an online survey that was shared with athletic directors. Each section then determined its representatives using the survey, resulting in 170 high school student-athletes from across the state.

“This is a program we have been focused on developing for several years,” said Kristen Jadin, NYSPHSAA Assistant Director who is spearheading the planning of the conference. “We are a student-based organization and what better way to develop students than to have an in-person conference with outstanding speakers who can share their expertise.”

The idea of the conference was developed by the NYSPHSAA Student-Athlete Development Committee (SADC) several years ago with input from the NYSPHSAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
 
About NYSPHSAA (Twitter: @NYSPHSAA | Facebook: NYSPHSAA | YouTube: NYSPHSAASports):
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association Inc. is a non-profit, voluntary, educational service organization composed of public, parochial, and private schools dedicated to providing equitable and safe competition for the students of its member schools. The organization conducts 32 championship events and governs the rules and regulations of high school athletics in New York State. Membership is open to secondary schools providing interschool athletic activities for boys and girls in grades 7-12.