This feature originally appeared in the 2022-23 Winter edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.




Developing student-athletes into great leaders is in the DNA of Cal Athletics, and under Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton's guidance, Cal has widened its reach to invest in the development of its employees by way of the Emerging Leaders Program.

Cal Athletics' Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) is believed to be the one of the first of its kind to be established in a collegiate athletics department nationwide. Fundamentally aligned with Knowlton's own leadership style and vision for the future of the department, the program leverages talent from within to identify and develop budding leaders.

"One of my biggest priorities since I've been at Cal is to make sure we are developing our future leaders," Knowlton said. "We are fortunate to have such a talented and hard-working staff, and many of our staff who are doing great things every day in our department will someday become our senior leaders. Our Emerging Leaders Program is helping to shape and prepare the next wave of leaders for Cal Athletics."

The program is spearheaded by Chief Development Officer Beth Tafolla-Voetsch and Associate Athletics Director of Sport Administration Gordon Bayne.

"We've been working to develop and identify growth opportunities for our middle-level managers within our department for a long time, and under Jim's leadership we formalized the [effort] with our Emerging Leaders Program," Tafolla-Voetsch said. 

ELP assembled its inaugural cohort in 2021 and made an immediate impact on the leadership of the department, with some of its members already stepping into high-level managerial roles within Cal Athletics.

The program is limited to a handful of select participants in each cohort who are nominated by department heads across Cal Athletics. Over the course of a year, the cohort participates in monthly engagements that span a variety of topics on leadership of yourself, others and an organization. They hear from guest
speakers from the department, campus and the conference, participate in case study exercises, discuss literature, emcee an All-Staff meeting, complete a project aligned with Cal Athletics strategic plan, participate in Director's Cabinet meetings and strategic plan discussions; all in an effort to foster their individual leadership styles. Each cohort's membership brings a unique perspective to the curriculum, with their experiences from different roles within Cal Athletics informing and enriching the collective learning.

In addition to supporting cohorts on their personal journeys in cultivating leadership skills, another crucial aspect of ELP is the Cal-centric lens on the curriculum. The program is deeply committed to instilling Cal's core values and ensuring their longevity as its new generation of leaders evolves.

"The ELP program creates a space in which our department's future leaders can earn hands-on experience while exchanging ideas and learning from and supporting one another with the goal of advancing Cal's strategic plan," 2022 cohort member and Assistant Director of Athletics Communications Gerrit Van Genderen said.

"I've been impressed with the thought, guidance and knowledge of all our emerging leaders," Tafolla-Voetsch offered. "There is an incredible depth and breadth of leadership throughout our department. I am optimistic about the future of Cal Athletics with the leaders I have had the opportunity to get to know through this program."