Featured Alumni

Melody Webb made history when she earned her latest promotion in the sports field. Webb, who is pursuing her Doctor of Education degree from the United States Sports Academy, became the first female athletic director at Norfolk (Va.) State University when she was promoted to replace longtime department leader Marty Miller in June 2020. Webb previously served as the school’s senior associate athletic director and senior women’s administrator at the school for six years. “I aspired to become an Athletics Director because I wanted to provide leadership and vision from an administrative perspective that would offer a comprehensive range of programs and services for student-athletes and create a culture that promotes academic achievement, personal development and championships,” Webb said. “I have been a student-athlete, a coach and an administrator, and [...]

After leading the Voorhees College (S.C.) men’s basketball program to great heights for six seasons, United States Sports Academy alumnus Derrick Mitchell was hired to build on that success at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. Mitchell earned a Master of Sports Science dual degree in Sports Coaching and Sports Studies from the Academy in 2009. “I appreciate the Academy because of what it did for my career and for what it has done for so many coaches like me,” Mitchell said. “My Academy degree made me qualified to coach at the college level. I can’t say enough about how the Academy helped me and how it has given so many other people an avenue to prepare themselves for careers as coaches. “When I studied with the Academy, I was so [...]

United States Sports Academy master’s degree program alumnus Rick Tice joined the Great Midwest Athletic Conference as assistant commissioner in January of 2020. Tice earned his Master of Sports Science degree in sports coaching from the Academy in 1989 at a time when the institution held on-campus instruction. He said the Academy’s well-rounded coursework and networking opportunities have been beneficial throughout his career in athletics coaching and administration. “My degree for the Academy has helped a tremendous amount throughout my career,” Tice said. “The education and experience from by time on campus was a great asset early in my career and gave me some opportunities to advance my career. My time on campus was a great experience early in my career. Good relative coursework, professors, and I was able to [...]

Dr. Tessie Bradford said her doctoral education from the United States Sports Academy helped her find her voice and led to her career as the Dean of Student Services at Lamar State College Port Arthur in Texas. A native of Mobile, Ala., Bradford earned her Doctor of Education degree in sports management in 2009. She was introduced to student services work through her Academy doctoral mentorship at Coppin State University in Baltimore, Md. “In my mentorship I taught some sports management courses but I also worked with student athletes to help them be successful off the field in the classroom,” Bradford said. “It was there where I realized that I enjoyed working on the student affairs side of higher education. After that, my first education leadership role was at the [...]

Recently hired high school principal Robert Jackson said his master’s degree from the United States Sports Academy informed his work as a coach and led to a career in academic administration. Jackson, who holds a Master of Sports Science degree in Sports Management from the Academy, begins his work at Westwood High School in Blythewood, S.C., on July 1 2020. He previously worked as the principal at Longleaf Middle School, which feeds into Westwood, and also spent time as a head basketball coach and physical education teacher early in his career. After completing his degree in 2003, Jackson soon became the assistant principal at Barnwell (S.C.) High School, then worked as assistant principal for instruction at Dutch Fork High School and principal of Irmo Middle School International Academic Magnet. “The [...]

Savannah (Ga.) Country Day School girls’ basketball coach, assistant athletic director and physical education department chair Amy Brooks said her education from the United States Sports Academy taught her some valuable lessons, none more important than the value of networking. Brooks is part of the Academy’s network of thousands of graduates working at all levels of sport around the world. She earned her Master of Sports Science degree in Sports Management from the Academy in 1989 and has worked as a coach at the high school and AAU levels in her career. “In the sport profession, it is very important to have a personal network of contacts who can help you find jobs and get further in your career,” Brooks said. “The Academy really showed me the value in developing [...]

Rick Fenoglio has been described as a “leading American soccer scientist” with more than 30 years of experience coaching and teaching different aspects of the game abroad in the United Kingdom. He’s worked at the highest levels of soccer there, including spending time with both the Manchester United and Manchester City professional clubs. A native of Bristol, Tenn., Fenoglio earned a Master of Sports Science degree from the United States Sports Academy in 1989. The longtime soccer professional recently retired from working as a senior lecturer in football (soccer) at Manchester Metropolitan University to focus his efforts on contributing to the development of the sport in the United States. Fenoglio plans to launch a youth soccer academy in his home state of Tennessee. In addition to work at Manchester Metropolitan [...]

United States Sports Academy master’s degree holder Lorenzo Canalis, the winningest women’s soccer coach in Berry College history, recently announced his plan to retire after 25 seasons leading the Vikings on the pitch. A native of Torino, Italy, Canalis earned his Master of Sports Science degree in sports management from the Academy in 1991. He served as the Vikings’ women’s soccer coach since 1995 and amassed a 322-137-37 record. He coached 39 All-Southern Athletic Association (SAA) selections, 130 SAA Academic Honor Roll honorees, a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, and led the team to a 2014 Southern Athletic Association regular-season championship. He was also named the SAA's Coach of the Year in 2013 and 2014. Like many of the Academy’s degree holders and students, Canalis studied with the institution while he [...]

An experienced collegiate athletics administrator with more than a decade of work on her resume, United States Sports Academy alumna Dr. Monique Carroll was recently hired to lead the athletic programs at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas. Carroll earned her Master of Sports Science degree in sports management from the Academy in 2012 before earning her doctoral degree in sports management from Northcentral University. A native of New Boston, Texas, Carroll previously served as Deputy Athletic Director for Internal Operations and Senior Woman Administrator at South Carolina State University. In that role, she served as the sport administrator for 10 sports. In addition to serving as a sport administrator, Carroll oversaw various units including, business operations, compliance, academics, strength and conditioning, sports medicine, ticketing, sports information, and game day operations. [...]

United States Sports Academy doctoral degree holder Dr. Marty Durden is taking his brand of “servant-leadership” and nearly five decades of athletic leadership to a new position at Calvary Christian School in Columbus, Ga. Durden earned his Doctor of Education degree in sports management from the Academy in 2016 and has written extensively about the “servant-leader” model of coaching, including in a 2019 Sport Digest piece titled “The Call for a Higher Standard Than Winning.” Durden is the new athletic director at Calvary Christian School in Columbus, Ga. Durden is a veteran coach whose teams have won state championships in basketball, baseball, football, and golf over the span of nearly five decades. He previously worked as the athletic director at Presbyterian School in Houston, and has also has worked as [...]