NORTHAMPTON - Assistant Athletic Director for Equity, Inclusion and Student-Athlete Well-Being Kelsey Parks Smith recently attended the NCAA Impact Forum, a conference for coaches, administrators and student-athletes within collegiate athletics focused around leadership and community building. 

This year's theme was Embracing Humanity, Building Community. Participants gained practical information and tools related to community building and other learning strategies that they can take back to campus. Attendees also engaged in sessions and dialogue focused on enhancing efforts to support all student-athletes and their unique experiences on campus. 

"I was fortunate to be selected to attend the 2025 Fall Summit, in conjunction with the NCAA Impact Forum in Indianapolis, IN," said Parks Smith. The Fall Summit was a two-day professional development experience designed for administrators across athletics focused on leadership, well-being, dialogue and relationship-building. During the Summit, I participated in the Clifton Strengths Assessment, providing a greater understanding of myself and how I can utilize my strengths to meet and exceed the demands of work and life. We also revisited our "Why" with the founders of DIECE, an organization dedicated to creating community among equity and inclusion professionals in athletics. Overall, the Summit was an incredible opportunity to be around those doing similar work in inclusion, equity, and belonging, and share ideas of how to create meaningful influence in our departments. 

Selection to the Fall Summit also provided registration to the Impact Forum, which brought together leaders across higher education and intercollegiate athletics, including student-athletes, to engage in action-oriented programming centered on creating cultures of belonging and well-being. We heard from keynote speakers, NCAA staff, and peers on how to bring innovation and creativity to the work that we do, along with how to support ourselves as professionals, particularly those of us who work in the inclusion space. 

I'm really thankful for the opportunity to meet new peers, reconnect with established thought-partners, and ultimately I'm grateful for the space to think creatively about how Smith can create better spaces of inclusion, equity, and belonging."

About Smith Athletics: Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information log onto GoSmithBears.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram