NIRSA President Dr. Wendy Windsor recently connected with four distinguished campus recreation leaders in her latest episode of the Hidden talents in NIRSA series. Natasha Johnson, Assistant Athletic Director for Recreation at Northern Illinois University, Sheena Harvey, Director, Fitness & Recreational Sports at the University of Nevada, Reno, Serita Porter, Assistant Athletic Director, Recreational Services at Lincoln University, and Felicia Tittle, Executive Director of Recreation & Physical Education at Duke University all share with Wendy Windsor some of their hidden talents and their perspectives on Black excellence.
Meet Wendy’s guests
Natasha graduated with a degree in business administration with a minor in marketing; she worked in the tax industry and had earned operations management information systems credentials before coming into campus recreation. She loves working in campus recreation and especially enjoys “teaching DEI modules and CPR trainings to our students.” While she is part of a diverse team today, she recalls a time when that wasn’t always the case. She credits “being teachable, having great supervisors, along with my education” as opening doors to where she’s arrived at today, and she shares ideas about being forward-looking and seeing the best in people in situations.
Sheena has been working in the same campus recreation department since 2003, after being introduced to the field as a student employee at the University of Nevada, Reno; she is now the Director of Fitness and Recreational Sports. Sheena is a first-generation college student (who recently defended her dissertation). Her experience as a student who attended and now a professional who currently works at a predominately white institution “has not only framed my lived experiences, but has also allowed me to grow through challenges,” she says. Sheena generously shares her perspective with Wendy and the other guests, saying “it’s being the first,” about Black excellence.
Serita was drawn to campus recreation through group exercise classes. After experiences working in the banking sector, she transitioned to a career in health outcomes about ten years ago. As a graduate student at the University of Delaware, Serita gained experience as a fitness instructor. She is now the Director of Wellness & Recreation as well as a doctoral student at Lincoln University, a HBCU institution, where she has been for about one year. As a teacher of a “Dimensions of Wellness” course at Lincoln University, Serita offers up some great metaphors for managing self-care and finding balance.
Despite earning an undergrad degree in therapeutic recreation, Felicia started her professional career journey working in corrections, before transitioning into campus recreation by way of the state of Florida; now she is Executive Director of Recreation & Physical Education at Duke. She works in campus recreation because it brings her “the opportunity to offer students transformational experiences through recreation programing, facilities, and academic courses.” Felicia acknowledges the challenges of working in predominately white environments as a Black woman, and shares some of the things that have helped her to keep a positive perspective and be a tireless champion for equity, inclusivity, diversity, and belonging.
Hidden talents in NIRSA
All four of Wendy’s guests this month are Black women who have gone onto become distinguished leaders in the collegiate recreation profession. They share some of the challenges they faced during their educational and career journeys and exchange strategies for showing up as your authentic self. The leaders all share a solutions-oriented mindset: “We may have issues today, but we’re moving past that…we’re looking to move forward,” says Natasha about working with stakeholders on campus, “so, how do we do that collaboratively, with as many people across campus as possible?”
Whether it is through making something out of nothing or adapting, these five outstanding leaders discuss the Black girl magic that is almost mythical and sees the room change when [they] walk in. Spend a half-hour with these five brilliant, generous, and dedicated campus recreation professionals and you might just discover a few insights about better serving your students. Plus, you’ll get to find out who loves to DJ, who makes soap, who has total recall when it comes to conversations, and who is the lowkey grill master.
Fearless vulnerability
With campus recreation, student affairs, and higher education all rapidly changing, fearless vulnerability is a technique that leaders in campus recreation can employ to continue progressing and advancing in the field. Fearless vulnerability describes a mindset of not allowing fear, embarrassment, or shame hold you back from achieving your goals. Spend a few minutes this month with Natasha, Sheena, Serita, Felicia and Dr. Wendy Windsor to hear more about their stories, and to find out what inspires them to be authentic and bold leaders in our profession.
- For more information, contact NIRSA President Wendy Windsor .
