Lori Thomas is the commissioner of the Heart of America Athletic Conference. Prior to leading the HAAC, she was the Senior Vice President for Membership and Character Initiatives at the NAIA. Thomas has also been a collegiate volleyball coach and professional volleyball player. In addition to her current leadership position, she is also a speaker with Proactive Coaching. Click here to see Lori's full bio In today’s episode, we discuss: Transitioning from the national office to becoming the NAIA's first-ever female conference commissioner Challenges facing today's student-athletes Qualities of good leaders How to advance in college athletics ... and so much more!!!   Resources, Books, and Links  Conference Website: HeartofAmericaConference.com Email:   HeartofAmerica71@gmail.com Twitter:  @HeartLoriThomas HAAC Twitter: @HeartSportsNews Proactive Coaching Website: ProactiveCoaching.info Past "Success is a Choice" podcast episodes of interest . . . Patti Phillips (Women Leaders in College Sports) - Episode 127 Jim Carr (CEO of the NAIA) - Episode 116 Jon Gordon (Author of "The Energy Bus") - Episode 100 JJ Birden (former Kansas City Chief WR) - Episode 073 Rob Miller (WHAC Commissioner) - Episode 017 Betsy Butterick (Communication Specialist) - Episode 013 Dwane Casey (2018 NBA Coach of the Year) - Episode 001 This Episode is Sponsored By Audible Today’s podcast is brought to you by audible – get a FREE audiobook download and 30-day free trial (new subscribers only) at www.audibletrial.com/SuccessIsAChoice. Over 180,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player.  Our friends at audible are offering a free download of some of our past guests including Todd Gongwer, Kevin Harrington, Lolly Daskal, Bob Burg, Amy Morin, Michael Burt, Larry Winget, Jon Gordon, and Pat Williams). Take advantage of this great deal by visiting www.AudibleTrial.com/SuccessIsAChoice. Please consider rating the podcast with 5 stars and leaving a quick review on iTunes.  Ratings and reviews are the lifeblood of a podcast. This helps tremendously in bringing the podcast to the attention of others. Thanks again for listening and remember that “Success is a choice. What choice will you make today?”