Moon Township, Pa. – Deputy Director of Athletics Chelsea Blakely of RMU has been selected to attend TopConnect AD, a leadership symposium for aspiring NCAA Division I athletic directors. Blakely serves as chief marketing officer and senior woman administrator (SWA) for RMU athletics.

The inaugural symposium hosted by TopConnect, a subsidiary of Connected Media, LLC, will be held virtually Oct. 15 and 16. The lineup of experienced athletic directors to speak at TopConnect AD includes DeLoss Dodds, Craig Littlepage and Debbie Yow. In addition, attendees will interact with industry search firms, including CarrSports Consulting, College Sports Solutions, Collegiate Sports Associates and Parker Executive Search.

An exclusive feature of TopConnect AD is the invitation only roundtable discussions. Attendees will be divided into small groups and will participate in four interactive sessions between current and former athletic directors and search firm representatives, allowing attendees to connect and network with industry leaders.

Blakely, a native of Houston, Texas, joined the staff at RMU in August of 2019 after spending 10 years as senior associate athletic director at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). In her first year with the Colonials, Blakely assisted in overseeing the opening of the UPMC Events Center, which featured men's basketball sellouts in the first game against Pitt as well as the 2020 Northeast Conference Tournament championship game, a 77-67 win over Saint Francis U that helped the Colonials earn their ninth automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Also during the 2019-20 academic year, Blakely oversaw the strategic planning and launch of a new brand campaign for the department of athletics, UNITE, as well as a redesign of the official website of RMU Athletics, RMUColonials.com. She was also instrumental in helping enact a number of initiatives to benefit student-athlete welfare and wellness, including programs such as RealRecruit. Blakely earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) in 2009 and owns the volleyball career record for assists with 3,905. She also earned an MBA in marketing from UTPA in 2011.

TopConnect AD is designed for senior level athletics administrators who are committed to taking the next step in their careers. Attendees will benefit from panels of long-time athletic directors current presidents of NCAA Division I institutions, search firm leadership and recently hired athletic directors. For a complete list of session and panelists, please visit topconnectleaders.com.

TopConnect has revolutionized the connections within the world of collegiate athletics by connecting future leaders with current leaders through an educational forum. Initially launched over 15 years ago as Villa 7, the TopConnect program has evolved into a valuable resource for coaches, athletics administrators and industry leaders. The three-word mantra of "Connect. Prepare. Lead." identifies the purpose of TopConnect.

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