Nov 15, 2020
In this podcast, Patti Phillips is joined by Assistant Vice
President and Director of Athletics at Saint Francis Brooklyn
College, Irma Garcia.
With a breadth of knowledge in many areas across this industry, her
heart for using them all to better the lives of others is what
makes Irma a true Woman Leader! Starting as the Head Women’s
Basketball Coach and now the Athletic Director, she has used every
moment of her 32-year career at her alma mater to uplift and
inspire.
The first Hispanic female to step into the Athletic Director chair
at the NCAA Division I level, she says the resiliency of her
Brooklyn roots inspired her to pursue her passion for playing
basketball and use her voice to better the college athletics
industry. Irma’s philosophy on molding student-athletes into
impactful world citizens has guided her through stops at every
level of coaching and administration. Teaching has always been her
first love, but she believes a good teacher always becomes the
student.
That mindset, she says, has helped her to become a more versatile
leader through the dual-pandemic our country has faced in 2020. She
reminds us that education is the key to addressing social
injustices in our communities and shares how life-long learning has
impacted her approach to addressing this on her campus.
In our conversation, Irma talks about how she leads her team with
passion, love and smiles! She shares what it means to be “Brooklyn
Tough”, how Women Helping Other Women (WHOW) has molded her
experience as an Athletic Director, and why family values play a
role in her journey. She also teaches us how to incorporate “no,
but” into your vocabulary and tips for learning to “Move the Room
and move Zoom.”
We hope you enjoy our conversation, and remember, we are Women
Leaders!
Head to womenleadersincollegesports.org for more about us and to
become a member!
Follow us at fb.com/WomenLeadersCS, and on Twitter and Instagram
@WomenLeadersCS.