FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Two Nova Southeastern University graduate assistants in the athletics department recently attended the 2016 NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar at the national office in Indianapolis.
 
Compliance GA Marc Cianci and Patrick Lillis, GA from the marketing department, were chosen as part of a select few attendees by an NCAA member committee. Less than half of the employees that applied, just starting their collegiate careers, were selected to attend.
 
"If you are a young professional in collegiate sports and have not yet attended the Emerging Leaders Seminar or don't plan to in the future, you're doing yourself a disservice," said Lillis. "Marc and I would like to give a special thank you to associate athletic director Kelley Kish, because without her, we wouldn't have had this tremendous opportunity."
 
"I gained a lot of knowledge and met many influential people at the Emerging Leaders Seminar," said Cianci. "I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to further their career in intercollegiate athletics."
 
In total, over 200 interns and graduate assistants were selected to participate at the 2016 ELS, by a group of current administrators and past seminar participants across all NCAA divisions. Besides national office interns, 59 conferences and affiliates and 165 schools were represented at the conference.
 
The ELS provides educational and transitional programming for NCAA graduate assistants and interns who have shown a profound interest in pursuing a career in college sports. Participants gain valuable insight that helps them structure the next steps for their careers. Over the eight years of the program's existence more than 1,000 athletics professionals have traveled to the NCAA national office for an engaging education and networking opportunity.
 
About NCAA leadership development:
NCAA leadership development, located in Indianapolis, coordinates and facilitates education and training for student-athletes, coaches and athletics administrators. The staff annually hosts programs, at little or no cost to members, using expert curriculum designed to enhance the well-being and personal development of college athletes. The staff also provides ongoing education and topical training to athletics professionals who identify and serve student-athlete needs. For more information, visit www.NCAA.org/leadershipdevelopment.