CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) will host its sixth Student-Athlete Leadership Conference this weekend, Friday-Sunday, February 7-9. The conference views these events as primarily educational but also a way to bond the A-R-C's athletics community. Almost 70 student-athletes from the conference's nine schools will attend.

"We are so grateful to the NCAA's Strategic Initiatives Grant for this leadership event," said A-R-C Commissioner Chuck Yrigoyen. "We view it as one of our office's most important initiatives, enriching the participants' identity as student-athletes not only at their institutions but as NCAA Division III and A-R-C student-athletes."

Danielle Rosario-Cushion, Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator at Upper Iowa University, will lead the group through the DiSC assessment. DiSC provides "insight on an individual's unique behavioral styles and how those styles affect the way the individual communicates with others." Ms. Rosario-Cushion, making her second appearance at the event, will kick off the Conference with a Friday night introductory DiSC session and then a follow-up on Saturday morning.

Saturday's program begins with a presentation by Tom Hess, a former Division III student-athlete and founder of The Playbook Lab. The mission of the organization is to "empower individuals to explore their challenges and discover what gets in their way so they can shift their thoughts, feelings and actions to achieve their goals." Mr. Hess has worked for Time, Inc./Sports Illustrated, Disney and IMG among other companies. He is a certified professional coach.

The Saturday afternoon sessions will kick off with a Q&A with current football / swimming & diving student-athlete Braly Keller, the A-R-C's representative to the national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Keller, who was recently elected Chair of national SAAC, will update the group on NCAA SAAC's activities and initiatives. Included will be a discussion of recent Division III legislative actions at the NCAA Convention. Later in the day, Katelin Valster, Lecturer of Exercise Science and Pre-Health Programs Advisor at Central College, will lead a session on mental-health awareness. Valster (nee Gannon) was an all-conference women's soccer player at Wartburg.

Sunday morning's session will include the student-led production of public service videos on the subjects of their choice (sportsmanship, sexual violence prevention, general conference promotion, etc.). The conference ends with a final session of reflection and possible action steps for when the attendees return to campus.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

• 5:00-6:00p — Arrival / Registration
• 6:00-6:30p — Dinner
• 6:30p — Opening Remarks
• 6:45p — Introduction to DiSC Assessment - Danielle Rosario-Cushion, Associate AD/SWA, Upper Iowa University
• 8:30p — Adjourn for Evening

• 7:15a-8:30a — Breakfast
• 8:30a-9:15a — "Brand Brief" - Tom Hess, The Playbook Lab
• 9:30a-10:45a — DiSC Reinforcement Activity - Danielle Rosario-Cushion, Associate AD/SWA, Upper Iowa University
• 11:00a-Noon — "Empathy and Culture" - Tom Hess, The Playbook Lab
• 12:00p-1:00p — Lunch
• 1:00-2:00p — Session with National SAAC Rep. - Braly Keller, Nebraska Wesleyan University
• 2:15-3:15p — Student-Athlete Mental Wellness - Katelin Valster, Lecturer in Exercise Science, Central College
• 3:30-4:30p — A-R-C Orientation Session / Ask the Conference Staff - Chuck Yrigoyen / Dan Hammes / Steve Carlson
• 6:00-7:00p — Dinner
• 8:00-10:00p — Social Activity

• 7:15-8:30a — Breakfast
• 8:30-9:30a — Creation of League PSAs
• 9:45-10:30a — Closing Session (Reflection, Action Items, etc.)

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