Wayne State University Athletics

Danika Fessenden at the 2025 NCAA Leadership Forum.

Women's Swimming & Diving 12/12/2025 8:27:00 AM Jeff Weiss, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Media Relations

Swimming Student-Athlete Danika Fessenden Participated in NCAA Leadership Forum

Student-Athlete Leadership Forum Builds Relationships, Fuels Growth

Last month, WSU women's swimming student-athlete Dannika Fessenden attended the Student-Athlete Leadership Forum. Hosted by the NCAA leadership development staff, the four-day event aimed to provide learners with the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of their core values, develop emotional intelligence, embrace vulnerability, grow their personal network and develop leadership skills.

"The Student-Athlete Leadership Forum impacted me in many ways, not only as a student-athlete but also as a person," remarked Fessenden. "We spent time reflecting on self-leadership, and it led me to realize if you can't lead yourself, you can't expect to lead those around you. The forum showed me that it is not only important to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses as a leader, but also to be unafraid of showing vulnerability. Being vulnerable is not a weakness; it is a strength that allows a trustworthy atmosphere for you and those around you.

"Additionally, we spent time reflecting on our values, and how it is important to know your values and lead with them. It enables you to lead authentically and intentionally as opposed to leading based on expectations. One quote we were reminded of during our time was, "Values are like fingerprints. Nobody's [are] the same, but you leave them all over" - Elvis Presley, and I aspire to live by this in my new and improved leadership skills gained by my experience."

The forum, held in the Dallas area, served 184 student-athletes, as well as nine coaches and 52 administrators. Division I and II conference offices and Division III schools nominate select student-athletes and administrators to attend the forum, which is hosted annually.

"Each year I am blown away with the engagement, energy and impact that comes with the leadership forum," said Mark Trumbo, NCAA director of leadership development. "The amount of growth that happens with our learners over four days is immeasurable and immediately felt on each campus and conference office as soon as they depart."

Building relationships was a key focus of the program and was encouraged through small-group activities. Learners were each assigned to a color team with about 30 other student-athletes, coaches and administrators, as well as two trained facilitators, who serve as college athletics administrators on campuses throughout the NCAA membership.

Facilitators guided learners through a series of workshops that encouraged introspection and discussion about leadership. Attendees also had the opportunity to take part in division-specific governance sessions, a community service activity to support domestic violence survivors, and well-being sessions.

This year's program theme, "Adjust Your Sails," aimed to equip student-athletes with leadership skills and empower them to take on greater responsibilities and apply the lessons learned when they are on campus and out in the world.

The program featured the following speakers:

• Felicia Martin, NCAA senior vice president of inclusion, education and community engagement, spoke with learners about the role that values play in decision-making.

• Lamarr Pottinger, CEO of Determined To Be Great Consulting, facilitated an interactive workshop with administrators and coaches on the leadership pipeline framework, addressing different levels of leadership. These levels help attendees understand their primary responsibilities as a leader and how that changes based on changes in roles.

• Angel Brutus, president and CEO of Synergistic Solutions, talked with student-athletes about the importance of monitoring their well-being and overall health.

• Nyaka NiiLampti, vice president of wellness and clinical services for the NFL, led coaches and administrators through discussions on maintaining their mental
health.

• Keynote speaker Will Baggett from Emergent Executives closed out the program by speaking about the best ways to overcome adversity and about being resilient.

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