As senior director of brand marketing for Rawlings and as an adjunct sports marketing instructor, Lindsey Naber has mentored many Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPstudents \u2014 13 of whom are now full-time employees of the sporting goods powerhouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cMentoring is a crucial component of our curriculum, and Lindsey is one our most effective mentors,\u201d said Jason Williams, EdD, program director. \u201cThrough her teaching and active leadership style, Lindsey has provided countless students with the critical skills and valuable insights needed to be successful in the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were few formalized internships when Naber was in college, which proved to be both a challenge and an opportunity, she said. That experience continues to inform her mentoring practice. \u201cI learned by doing as a volunteer for my college athletic department, and it was completely what I made of it,\u201d she said. \u201cI was free to give a lot of time to learn about the industry \u2014 basically, I was a shadow to everyone in the department. That experience has shaped how I mentor students; they are immersed side by side with key decision-makers.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n A<\/span>t Rawlings, Naber oversees national product launches for B2B customer sales. She also helps develop major brand initiatives for events such as the MLB All-Star Game and the NCAA Women\u2019s College World Series as well as managing brand properties such as the Rawlings Gold Glove Award program. <\/span>Naber is intentional about having interns work on all aspects of her marketing projects. \u201cWe operate as a fully functioning team,\u201d she said. \u201cI like to show the good, the bad and the ugly so students are exposed to all facets of the job because it\u2019s critical. It helps them decide what area of the industry they want to work in, whether it\u2019s marketing, accounting, IT, manufacturing or on the digital team.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Taylor Shingler, \u201922, \u201923, is one example of that learning curve. She began as a marketing intern with Naber and now works for Rawlings as a business intelligence analyst. \u201cLindsey made me feel like the work I was doing made a difference,\u201d Shingler said. \u201cShe taught me to redirect my perspective, so another person understands better what I\u2019m trying to communicate.\u201d Russell Susuki, \u201918, is director of marketing and corporate fulfillment with the Missouri Valley Conference. He interned with Naber as senior in the program. \u201cLindsey treated me like a full-time employee and gave me meaningful projects to assist with and eventually have responsibility for,\u201d he said. \u201cShe took every opportunity to teach, and now I take every opportunity I can to help the next generation of sport business professionals learn and grow.\u201d Morgan Ripper, \u201921, \u201923, works for Rawlings as a marketing coordinator, a position she landed after working as an intern with Naber. \u201cLindsey does a great job of giving a wide range of responsibility to interns and pulling people in on high-visibility projects that they can be proud of or see out in the marketplace,\u201d she said. \u201cShe allows interns to learn what it\u2019s like to work collaboratively but also allows them to own projects that other companies might not give to interns.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Like Shingler and Susuki, much of what Ripper learned from Naber about workplace communication is utilized daily. But one skill in particular stands out, she said. \u201cForward thinking is probably the most frequently utilized skill I\u2019ve strengthened since working with Lindsey,\u201d Ripper said. \u201cIt is an underrated skill to be able to anticipate questions or issues that may come up.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n Through her leadership and mentorship, Naber emphasizes that learning is ongoing in the industry, said Ripper. \u201cHer relationships go beyond the time the internship is completed,\u201d she said. \u201cLindsey stays in touch with all of her interns, helping them professionally in the industry.\u201d Internships provide students with valuable opportunities to develop skills and gain perspective, but those who mentor students also learn from the experience, said Naber. \u201cCompanies and brands are 100 percent benefiting from the added help,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd personally, mentoring forces me to reflect on my job and focus on what I\u2019m doing and what I can do better.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n From her vantage point, Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPinterns set themselves apart with their advanced level of preparation and professionalism. \u201cThey know what to expect because the curriculum prepares them for that, and that helps us get to our end goal faster,\u201d she said. \u201cI sometimes forget how young they are because of their maturity and eagerness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n