BALTIMORE, Md. (June 23, 2021)-Morgan State Director of Student-Athlete Development, Chad Allen has been selected to attend TopConnect AD 2021, a leadership symposium for aspiring Division-I Athletics Directors sponsored by TEAMWORKS/#INFLCR.
 
The second annual symposium hosted by TopConnect, a subsidiary of Connected Media, LLC, will be held virtually on June 24^th and June 25^th. The 2021 program is headlined by Jeremy Foley, Athletics Director Emeritus at the University of Florida.

"Being selected as a member of the #TopConnect AD 2021 class is a major accomplishment in my pursuit of becoming a senior level administrator," said Allen. "My professional goal is to become a Senior Associate AD of Student-Athlete Development."

"Sitting at the table learning and gaining insight from some of the best and brightest practitioners in our industry is priceless. I'm really excited and honored for this opportunity of furthering my professional development and personal growth."
 
TopConnect AD is designed for senior level athletics administrators who are committed to taking the next step in their careers. Attendees will benefit from panels with current Presidents of Division-I institutions, with NIL professionals Kevin Barefoot from TEAMWORKS/#INFLCR and legal expert Darren Heitner, panels focused on translating moment into action and the A to Z of Hiring a Head Coach. 
 
TopConnect has revolutionized the connections within the world of collegiate athletics by connecting future leaders with current leaders through an educational forum. Initially launched over fifteen years ago as Villa 7, the TopConnect program has evolved into a valuable resource for coaches, athletics administrators, and other industry leaders. Since TopConnect's launch in 2018, fourteen attendees have been hired into their dream position as an Athletics Director, Head Men's Basketball Coach, or Head Women's Basketball Coach. This includes Randale Richmond, Director of Athletics at Kent State, who will be presenting a session on how to prep for the big interview.
 
TopConnect is sponsored by TEAMWORKS/#INFLCR and works in conjunction with East Tennessee State University's Doctoral Program in Global Sport Leadership. For questions or more information, please email Dr. Richard Sander at sander@etsu.edu or Kay Lennon-McGrew at lennonk@etsu.edu. TopConnect is on all social media platforms @TopConnectLead.
 
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference 
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) celebrates its 50^th year of intercollegiate competition with the 2020-21 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of 11 outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.

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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 126 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.