By Acacia McDonald, Gaylord College Class of 2025
On Oct. 25, friends and students of Gaylord College gathered at the Switzer Center for an evening with some of the brightest women in OU Athletics. The event was put on by Gaylord Women in Sports, an organization in its inaugural year in the college. With the help of Jackie Livingston, the director of operations for OU softball, the event was complete with speakers from all over the athletics department including Leah Beasley, the executive associate athletic director of external communication; Erin Miller-Thiessen, two-time national champion who does Sooner Sports Properties Corporate Partnerships; and Caitlin Fournier, the director on fan engagement and community relations.
The evening began with a tour of the Switzer Center, which included a walk past all of the championship trophies and through the practice facilities for the football team. After that, guests were served Raising Cane’s chicken and the main event began. All four women had lots of words of wisdom and advice from their years of experience and different points of view. Carly Murray, a senior broadcast journalism major at Gaylord College and president of Gaylord Women in Sports, said, “As a woman who wants to work in sports, it was truly inspiring hearing their story, advice and how much they care to pour into the next generation.”
After the panel and a Q&A session, many stayed behind and connected with the speakers. Overall, it was a successful night all around. Between the nuggets of advice given by the speakers, the connections made and the glimpse of more potential events in the future, the partnership between GWS and women in OU athletics is bright and growing.
