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Adding Value As A Deputy AD With Clemson’s Kevin White & Notre Dame’s Yulander Wells

Guest Kevin White, Clemson; Yulander Wells, Notre Dame
23:43 min watch

Summary

Clemson Deputy Director of Athletics Kevin White and Notre Dame Deputy Athletics Director Yulander Wells sit down with ADU’s Tai M. Brown at the 2023 NACDA Convention to dive into how they add value to their ADs, their institutions and their staff from the Deputy AD position. White and Wells discuss the dual roles of a Deputy AD – the daily “keep the trains running” perspective and the long-term strategic thinking aspect, noting that effective Deputy ADs have the ability to serve as a conduit for an AD’s vision. Wells and White also sharing insight into evaluating talent, including hiring and firing staff, and talk about balancing resources for football with supporting other sports.

The conversation is indexed below for efficient viewing (click the time stamp to jump to a specific question/topic).

  • - Talk to us about your experiences serving as a Deputy Athletics Director.
  • - Yulander, what about your experiences as a Deputy AD?
  • - What qualities of your mentors have you incorporated into your own leadership style?
  • - Who is the Kevin White that shows up consistently among the different leaders you've worked with?
  • - Who is the Yulander that stayed consistent among all the places you've worked?
  • - What is the main thing that has led you to be successful throughout the years, which helped lead you to this deputy role?
  • - What about you, Kevin?
  • - How do you prepare to have those difficult personnel conversations, ones that you know will change someone's life? 
  • - How do you evaluate talent throughout the hiring process?
  • - How do you approach strategic thinking as a Deputy AD through the lens of department resources?
  • - Kevin, what's your perspective on this?
  • - What is the value-add that you bring to your institution, your AD and the people who report to you?
  • - What about you, Yulander?
  • - Tell us about your experience with the NCAA's Leadership Programs.
  • - What about for you Kevin? 

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