We’ve always heard from collegiate athletes, but what about the coaches? Mary Ellen Gillespie joins the show this morning to talk all things sports. Moving from an athlete, to athletic director, to deputy director of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, she’s seen athletics from all sides. Now, she turns her focus to the coaches to best support their education and development as leaders. Connect with Mary Ellen at meg@wbca.org.

Mary Ellen Gillespie was named the Deputy Director of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association in January 2020. She comes to the WBCA from the University of Hartford where she served as Director of Athletics. Prior to Hartford, Gillespie enjoyed a successful tenure as the Director of Athletics at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Under her guidance, the department saw strong growth in both leadership and revenue generation. Academic success and student-athlete development flourished during her time at UWGB, while the department achieved outstanding accomplishments in the competitive arena. Gillespie, a native of Sayville, NY, holds a bachelor’s degree in speech communication and a master’s in counseling-student affairs practice from SUNY Plattsburgh where she is also a Distinguished Alumna. She also has a certificate in fundraising management from the Indiana University Fund Raising School. 

Interested in travelling full-time? Tune in to hear Chris ‘Tarzan’ Clemens tell us about his decision to leave behind the corporate world and start an adventure across the world. All he needs is a car and stable internet connection to make this nomad lifestyle a reality.

Chris ‘Tarzan’ Clemens (not his actual middle name) grew up in rural Indiana and graduated from Ball State University, where he was president of the AKPsi chapter. Later, he moved to Southern California to sell cheesecake cutting machines until 2012 when he quit his job to hike the Appalachian Trail. Upon returning to California, Clemens became the youngest president of the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara, moved into his car, and lived on the street while working in a fast-growing tech startup. In 2015, he quit his job, secured a freelance marketing client, and hit the road to travel fulltime. 

Welcome to 2021! Rather than interviewing a guest, Desiree and Chrissy sit down to chat about what they’ve learned over the last four seasons of Business Edge, and they answer the show’s signature question. Shoot us an email with your thoughts at businessedge@akpsi.org.