Featured Speaker - Amy Bair, Director of Student-Athlete Development, Cal Athletic Department

Amy joined the Cal Athletic Department as Director of Student-Athlete Development in September 2006. She oversees the total development of the student-athlete-- identifying the challenges and opportunities that are unique to them as both students and athletes. Her programming includes community outreach, leadership development, career planning and placement, personal development and student-athlete recognition. It is such satisfying work because she gets to inspire student-athletes and give them the confidence to achieve their dreams and goals.

Before coming to Cal, Amy Bair was responsible for the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills program at the University of Hawaii that teaches student-athletes valuable skills and strategies for success in the classroom, on the field, and in life. In addition, Amy provided psychological skills training and performance enhancement counseling to several UH teams. Prior to her role in Hawaii, she spent three seasons traveling with the United States National Luge team in an academic advisor/sport psychology consultant role.

As an active participant in the national Life Skills community, Amy served as a Team Facilitator for the NCAA/CHAMPS Life Skills National Leadership Conference and the Division I Regional Leadership Conference Pilot Program. These conferences bring together a diverse group of student-athletes nationwide to actively participate in and experience a multitude of challenging and thought-provoking activities that will enable them to become change agents on their campuses and in their communities. In addition, Amy is a Peer Reviewer for NCAA Athletics Certification. As part of an institutional self-study and athletics certification process, she serves on an external peer-review team to determine whether the stated policies and procedures are engaged and functioning.

This year, Amy has been invited to serve on the 1A CHAMPS National Board of Advisors. 1A CHAMPS Board members provide oversight and support for the 1A Athletic Directors’ Association. They are the guardians of the CHAMPS mission, ensuring that it is being fulfilled through Annual Meeting programs, mentoring and resources offered by the Association.

Amy is a founding partner of PVA Knowledge Group LLC™ whose mission is to inspire people through entertainment, consulting, seminars, and individual instruction to find their Passion, to teach them how to create a clear Vision of what they want, and to connect them to specific plans of Action that will ensure a lifetime of personal growth and development. PVA Knowledge Group LLC™ is dedicated to promoting the understanding of this process as told through the stories of extreme sport athletes, men and women who have taken their athletic and creative passions to the highest level. Presenting stunning images of these athletes in action along with a fresh style of interview and commentary, they have developed a series of media products and services that share a unique way of looking at life and an approach that can serve to empower and connect people with their own passions and untapped potential. She co-authored "Next Level Training Tips", a monthly magazine column for Makai Ocean Lifestyle Magazine which features great watermen from Hawaii and explores their training regime as well as offers suggestions for learning more about the mental aspects of sport.

Serving the community, Amy is an active member of the Junior League, an organization committed to promoting voluntarism and developing the potential of women. While in Hawaii, the Junior League of Honolulu's signature project was My Story, a nine-week workshop and series of structured dialogue sessions for girls, ages 12-15 years old. It is designed to encourage self-esteem, improve and nurture relationships with peers and adult women in their community, foster confidence, and allow a safe place for self-expression through a variety of activities. Each week, Amy was part of a team of facilitators that presented themes, which relate to the girls’ lives such as values, body image, the power of choice, emotions, communication, independent living and goals.

Amy graduated from Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA) where she earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology while also competing as a soccer and basketball student-athlete. Additionally, she earned her M.S. in Athletic Counseling from Springfield College, MA. Amy is currently pursuing her PhD in the Educational Psychology program at the University of Hawaii and will be starting her dissertation research shortly. Her research interests examine the human development and learning strategies involved with peak performance and leadership.

In her spare time, Amy can be found hitting the trails with Greta, her Great Dane, getting lost in a good movie or book, and trying new recipes in the kitchen.

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