Fairmont State University Assistant Athletic Director Receives Funding from Mountain East Conference to Attend Women Leaders in Sports Convention

Fairmont State University Assistant Athletic Director for External Affairs & Resource Development Simone Statham has received $2,500 from Mountain East Conference to attend the Women Leaders in Sports (WLS) Convention.

The WLS Convention provides opportunities for women working and leading in sports to gain professional development and networking experience to improve their efficacy. Attendees can expect over 50 hours of programming, which includes keynote speakers and dozens of connection opportunities.

"We are incredibly thankful for this grant from the MEC. This is a wonderful opportunity for Simone to grow her skills and meet other remarkable women who are impacting sports," said President Mike Davis. "At Fairmont State, we pride ourselves on being a Great Place to Work. This means creating an environment where our faculty and staff can continually learn and develop their skills."

Mountain East Conference offers this grant program to relieve any institutional burden that attendees would otherwise incur by attending the convention. Additionally, Mountain East Conference hopes that the funding will give attendees the opportunity to purchase "add-on" programming available through the registration process for the convention since their registration and associated attendance costs have been covered.

"Being able to attend the Women Leaders in Sports Convention gives me the opportunity to network with like-minded women in sports. Even beyond the convention, the organization has given me a platform to participate in different circle calls and discussions with other external affairs administrators," Statham said. This is Statham's first time attending a WLS Convention.

Statham was officially welcomed to the Fairmont State University Athletic Department in July and describes herself as motivated to make connections and absorb information. Prior to her work at Fairmont State, Statham worked at Trinity Washington University and with Regenerative Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.