Professional Development
What NOMAD Offers
NOMAD provides intentional spaces for growth, connection, and leadership advancement.
📚 The NOMAD Leadership Book Collective
Our virtual book club brings members together to explore leadership, equity, culture, and athletic administration through curated readings. These sessions spark thoughtful dialogue and practical takeaways that leaders can apply immediately within their programs.
🎙️ The Leadership Exchange
(Monthly Virtual Call Series)
The Leadership Exchange is our signature monthly gathering. These structured virtual conversations feature guest speakers, real-world problem solving, and open dialogue among athletic administrators across the country.
Each session provides:
Practical leadership strategies
Policy and compliance updates
Mentorship conversations
Peer-to-peer networking
This is where ideas move from theory to practice.
🎓 Professional Development Workshops/Webinars
NOMAD offers focused workshops/Webinars on topics such as:
Equity and inclusion in athletics
Program culture development
Conflict resolution
Supporting Women in the Profession
Hiring and staff development
Student-athlete leadership programming
Navigating challenging conversations
Building pipelines for future athletic administrators
Managing burnout in high-demand roles
These workshops equip leaders with tools they can implement immediately.
🤝 Social and Professional Networking Opportunities
Leadership grows in relationship. The best ideas, partnerships, and breakthroughs rarely happen in a keynote. They happen in conversation.
At every major gathering, NOMAD creates intentional space for members to connect beyond the formal sessions. We host structured roundtables that get people talking about real challenges and real solutions. We create relaxed meetups where conversations flow naturally. We make it easy to move from “nice to meet you” to “let’s work on this together.”
And then there’s The NOMAD Suite & Greet.
This is where the room shifts from business cards to real connection. It’s upbeat, welcoming, and built for people who actually want to meet others in the profession. No awkward standing around. No cliques. Just good energy, strong conversation, and the kind of introductions that lead to collaboration.
If you’re looking to expand your circle, find mentors, connect with decision-makers, or simply recharge with people who understand your world, this is where you want to be.
Come for the conversation.
Stay for the relationships.
Leave with connections that move your work forward.
🌟 The Women in Leadership Breakfast
(A National Conference Highlight)
Across the country, women remain significantly underrepresented in high school athletic leadership. While girls’ participation in high school sports is at an all-time high, women hold only a small percentage of Athletic Director positions nationwide, commonly cited at roughly 15–20 percent. In many states, that number is even lower. The leadership of school-based athletics does not yet reflect the diversity of the student-athletes it serves.
That gap matters.
Athletic Directors shape hiring decisions, allocate resources, oversee equity in facilities and scheduling, and set the tone for school culture. Representation in those roles influences mentorship pipelines, professional advancement, and the visibility of leadership pathways for young women entering athletics, coaching, and administration.
Held annually, the Women in Leadership Breakfast at the National AD Conference is not symbolic. It is practical. It creates space for connection, mentorship, and honest conversation about barriers that still exist in hiring, advancement, and retention. It provides emerging leaders with access to role models who have navigated the profession successfully. It strengthens professional networks that often develop informally and can otherwise exclude women.
This gathering celebrates leadership, elevates voices, and strengthens networks that continue long after the conference ends.
The Bigger Picture
NOMAD is not just a professional organization.
It is a leadership community.
Through development, dialogue, and connection, we are building stronger athletic programs and expanding representation in leadership across the country.
