BROOKLYN, N.Y. — St. Francis College Brooklyn Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Irma Garcia appeared as a guest on the Women Leaders in College Sport podcast, Women Leaders, to discuss her rise to the lead position in athletics for the Terriers.
The first Hispanic female to step into the Athletic Director chair at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level, Garcia says the resiliency of her Brooklyn roots inspired her to pursue her passion for playing basketball and use her voice to better the college athletics industry. Irma’s philosophy on molding student-athletes into impactful world citizens has guided her through stops at every level of coaching and administration. Teaching has always been her first love, but she believes a good teacher always becomes the student.
That mindset, she says, has helped her to become a more versatile leader through the dual-pandemic our country has faced in 2020. She reminds us that education is the key to addressing social injustices in our communities and shares how life-long learning has impacted her approach to addressing this on her campus.
In the conversation, Garcia talks about how she leads her team with passion, love and smiles! She shares what it means to be “Brooklyn Tough”, how Women Helping Other Women (WHOW) has molded her experience as an Athletic Director, and why family values play a role in her journey. She also teaches us how to incorporate “no, but” into your vocabulary and tips for learning to “Move the Room and move Zoom.”
