against all odds:
​dawn turner
About dawnDawn Turner is in her second year as Assistant Director of Compliance and Student Services at UNC Asheville.
Prior to Asheville, Dawn worked at the Big South Conference for 12 years. During her tenure, she oversaw all aspects of the Big South Conference championships and was the primary administrative contact for men's and women's soccer, volleyball, men and women's basketball, baseball, softball, women's lacrosse and men's and women's tennis. She was also the league's liaison to the Council of Senior Woman Administrators and the Big South's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She served a four-year term on both the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Tennis Committee and the NCAA Division I Volleyball Committee. She also served as an Assistant Director of Membership Services at the NCAA National Office. In her role, she assisted in analyzing NCAA legislation and providing interpretations for member institutions in all three divisions. She also served as a primary liaison for Division II blueprint compliance reviews. In addition, Turner served as a liaison with Division I Athletic Certification for member institutions. A native of Cheraw, S.C., Turner received her Bachelor's Degree from Francis Marion University in Florence, S.C. |
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I had the pleasure of meeting Dawn (Mama D as I like to call her) in the summer of 2013 at the Big South Leadership Conference in Black Mountain, NC. I had just become the President of UNC Asheville's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was wanting to make an impact on the Big South Conference as a student-athlete. She was the leader of this event and did a tremendous job of organizing it for numerous previous years.
She and I connected instantly, fueling off of each other's senses of humor and strong uses of sarcasm. The various sessions at the leadership conference introduced us to what we believed in, stood for, and were seeking to achieve. I returned to the same conference in the summer of 2014 and our relationship picked up right where we had left it off the previous year. Learning that she was joining UNC Asheville's staff that fall, I was thrilled to be able to work with her on a daily basis. For my senior year at UNCA, we were able to work together to enhance the student-athlete experience on campus and in the community by making our SAAC the best that it could be. She was there for moral support when I went through the job application and interview process. She connected me with some very important people and opportunities, and continues to serve as one of the best references that I could ever want/need. My hope is to continue to build on our friendship so that we can help each other advance farther and farther along in the collegiate athletics industry until we get the opportunity to work together again on the same team. |
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Mama D has seen it all. Having been in the athletics industry for over 25 years, she knows how dynamic you have to be in order to remain and succeed in the industry. Of course, the work/life balance continues to be tough for her, regardless of how much experience she has had. Plainly put, she believes you may not be able to balance it well at all in the early years of your career. Due to time constraints and the want to do great things, sometimes it is hard to see the value of taking time to yourself while working in this industry. However, as you progress and take on bigger roles, it becomes even more necessary to separate the workplace from your home life. Dawn preaches how vital this can be, but admits that we all need to work a little bit harder to ground ourselves from work life and become entrenched in ways to de-stress.
Based on her experience, she has dealt with every type of coworker/boss relationship. She has realized that no professional relationship will ever be perfect. However, numerous things can be done to bolster those connections and prevent them from morphing into something toxic and unhealthy. In terms of rough situations with coworkers, Dawn will fully analyze what is happening in a situation or relationship. Upon realizing her side of the story, she then looks to the other side in order to learn her coworker's perspective regarding the situation. Addressing issues as they come up head-on usually prevents them from growing into something completely uncontrollable. If the situation does get out of hand, she will then go the next person high in authority and address the problem from the top-down. By going to the people above her, the proper discipline and system of rectification can be utilized in order to resolve the situation. Learning curves have been huge parts of Mama D’s progression through the industry. Facing new ones with every position she has had, she now knows what to expect when taking on a new post. Cultural differences, administrative processes, and employer nuances all take time to learn, and it is up to you to research all of these things ahead of time. If you find yourself falling behind the “curve”, her main advice to is remain calm and stick to what you know. By walking through the curve, you are admitting that you do not know how to do some things. This can be a very humbling process, which can benefit you in the long run. By approaching the process head-on, you are not avoiding it, which is crucial for personal development and increasing your overall skill and intellect. Highlighting the importance of working your way through higher education, she believes that having a Master’s Degree is absolutely vital for progression in the industry today. When employers are hiring, it is one big reason that will set you apart from other applicants who are just as talented and appealing as you are. Since this is such a competitive world, every little thing that can be done set you apart from the competition is necessary, and going through graduate school is a great way to do that. It proves that you have the drive to succeed while wanting to go a step further, something that employers love to see. Being finished with her Master’s in 2017, she cannot wait to see where she will accelerate to when she is done. This will be the turning point in her career, and she is excited to see what the future holds for her. In terms of leadership challenges, Dawn has constantly been faced with having to step out of her comfort zone. Realizing this is actually a good thing, she has embraced taking on new roles and organizing events that she has never done before. Learning through trial and error, she has “forced” herself to grow as a leader and adapt to the ever-changing dynamic of collegiate athletics. The biggest challenge she has faced has been her having to change a couple personal characteristics that were necessary to enhance her ability to perform her roles effectively. Approaching it with an open mind, she is proud of how she has adapted and progressed into her current role as a leader. Seeing numerous leadership do’s and don’ts, she knows a lot about what it takes to become an effective leader. First, Dawn preaches that you have to stretch yourself in order to pull yourself into new dimensions of intellect and success. Thinking outside the box and trying new things can fuel the creation of new platforms that can help you and your organization reach new heights. There is no need to “reinvent the wheel” at times, but finding innovative ways to leave a legacy can be a big factor in making you who you are. Educating yourself is a huge necessity for growth, as well as fully understanding who you are as a leader. If you do not know your own leadership style, it will be very difficult to influence others in the way that you want to. Don’t ever think that you “know it all” about a certain facet of your job. Staying humble is vital to keeping you grounded, so always finding a way to put your ego aside is crucial to effective leadership. Continually learning leadership qualities through education and programming can challenge you to stay strong in your leadership beliefs. Also, Dawn believes that you should never belittle anyone else in order to help yourself look better. Burning bridges will never be beneficial to leadership, so make sure to keep ties strong and positive with everyone you are connected to. Stressing over-communication, having a clear two-way street for both parties involved can strengthen the overall ability of the organization. In terms of making mistakes, Mama D (admittedly) has made plenty. But she would not be the person that she is today without making the mistakes that she did. Leaving a strong position at the wrong time, she was drawn by monetary incentives to a different post. Looking back, she could have done even better at her original place if she had looked long-term and remained at that job long enough. Looking back, it was a “good” and a “bad” mistake because it pushed her into some terrible positions while also putting her into the positions that she loves today. It has gotten her going into the right direction that put her where she was supposed to be all along. So, she is thankful for the mistakes that she has made and fortunate to have taken advantage of all of them. Her biggest piece of advice for long-term success in this industry is learning to balance the time of working in the sports industry now. She is a big believer of taking the opportunity to get to be developed professionally as early as you can. Even if it costs you a lot of time, energy, and money, utilize every platform out there to help you develop and make an even bigger difference than you are already making. You never know when people will remember you down the road and will come back into your life to help you out. Stay humble and be open to other people’s thoughts and opinions; their feelings and thoughts are just as important as yours. Through this community/team effort, Dawn believes that you can individually make the sports world a better place. |
Believing that she is a complete servant leader, she is looking forward to seeing how her leadership philosophy continues to materialize. She believes that you have to be extremely humble while stepping to the side and watching everyone else take credit in the limelight. She also thinks that nobody can be an effective leader while being selfish. Leading people for the wrong reasons will set you up for long-term failure while taking the ethical nature out of leadership.