By Tony Ferullo
For Adam Skaggs, Suffolk’s new associate director of athletics, winning means something more than just a successful season. It also means working to enhance the overall experience of the more than 300 women and men who compete on Suffolk’s 19 Division III intercollegiate sports teams.
“I want to provide our student-athletes with the resources they need to function in a safe, healthy, and positive environment,” says Skaggs, who joined the University last fall after six years with the NCAA as an assistant director for Division III communications.
Skaggs’ top priorities include advocating for greater diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and increasing awareness about mental health and wellness. “We want to make this place as inclusive as possible in the areas of race, disability, LGBTQ, class, socioeconomic status, age, and more,” he says.
Together with Head Basketball Coach Jeff Juron, he helps lead the Suffolk Athletics Inclusion Coalition, which programs DEI workshops and socially inclusive events for student-athletes, with goals to track progress. “We also have a social media campaign to maintain awareness and spread positivity,” he adds. Skaggs also works with Suffolk’s Counseling, Health & Wellness Center to host workshops on topics such as managing stress and anxiety, and preventing sexual harassment and alcohol abuse. Suffolk will also participate in the NCAA’s fourth annual online mental health campaign.
“Adam has a really good skill set and he thinks outside the box,” says Suffolk Director of Athletics Cary McConnell, who consults with Skaggs on everything from marketing to management, hiring, and budget. “He figures out how to get things done, from the idea phase to the point that benefits student-athletes and everyone involved.”
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Photograph by Michael J. Clarke
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