BERKELEY – Cal announced Monday it received a Tara VanDerveer Fund for the Advancement of Women in Coaching grant from the Women's Sports Foundation (WSF). Grants were awarded to institutions to support collegiate women coaches on the rise and assist with living expenses, professional development and mentorship. Cal is one of 10 universities and colleges to receive the grant, which is designated for women coaching fellows in a wide variety of women's sports.
 
Awarded institutions are responsible for hiring an individual to fill their WSF VanDerveer Fellow opening and providing mentorship and professional development opportunities in her field of choice, such as coaching or team operations. Cal head coach Charmin Smith has selected Erica Hanserd as the school's grant recipient.
 
"I want to thank the Women's Sports Foundation and Tara for creating this much needed program which provides real-world experiences that will ultimately help bridge the gender gap in coaching," Smith said. "Starting from my playing days under Tara, I saw how she was a champion for women even at a time when not many people were and that passion has served as a foundation for everything I do. I look forward to having Erica as a part of our Cal program and ensuring that she has an amazing professional development opportunity."
 
A graduate of Southern Utah University, Hanserd will be spending her time on the marketing and operational aspects of running a basketball team, with a focus on growing the Cal women's basketball brand, team administration, development of the student-athletes and assistance with NIL opportunities. She most recently spent time with the University of Kentucky's athletic department, where she advised student-athletes on career and professional development opportunities and assisted with the department's various DEI efforts.
 
"I am very excited to be joining Coach Smith's staff," Hanserd said. "With the growth in visibility and popularity of women's basketball being at an all-time high, I am looking forward to learning the ins and outs of operating a program and growing a brand."
 
In alignment with the goal of the Tara VanDerveer Fund to increase coaching opportunities for women and particularly BIPOC women, Smith has undertaken several initiatives aimed at creating a more diverse and inclusive community at Cal and the larger women's basketball community. Last year, she rebranded the program's 41-year-old Cal Classic tournament to the "Raising the B.A.R. (Basketball, Activism and Representation) Invitational powered by Cal." The annual event is used to elevate the voices, stories and people in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging and Justice space and features teams led by Black female head coaches. Smith is also a member of the Women's Basketball Board of Directors, a co-chair of the WBCA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, a member of the Women of Color group (a network where women of color coaches collaborate, advocate, empower, and mentor one another) and is a part of the Advancement of Blacks in Sports working to review the hiring practices in college athletics.
 
Since its inception, the WSF Fund has provided a total of $800,000 to 33 colleges and universities throughout the country, supporting 35 coaching fellows across 11 different sports.
 
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