Sports
Today’s guest is Kelly Mehrtens. Mehrtens is the Managing Director of The Trust an NFL Player’s Association program that assist NFL players with transition after their NFL careers have ended. She is a former collegiate student-athlete under the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) governing body and an international track and field athlete. Mehrtens spent 25 years as a collegiate athletic administrator at six Division I NCAA institutions, including being the Director of Athletics at UNC Wilmington, and playing a vital role in the University of Maryland’s transition into the Big Ten Conference. Mehrtens, a native Floridian, credits her faith-based family structure and sports as the catalyst that allowed her, in her youth, to successfully navigate through deep Southern traditions and mentalities during the Civil Rights Movement. Mehrtens also discusses the challenges that collegiate women administrators have in obtaining skill sets in finance, fundraising, and “football” governance versus being pigeon holed in compliance and academic development positions. She is a strong supporter of diversity and inclusion and post-athletic transition development. Hear her story. Produced by the Institute For Sport & Social Justice (ISSJ). Hosted by Mat Edelson, journalist and producer having appeared on NPR, ABC, ESPN, and in Houghton-Mifflin’s annual series, “The Best American Sports Writing.” “See Us Now! – Invisible Women In Sport”