Holding the Ladder in Sport and Leadership

Todd James is our guest for this episode. He has been a sports missionary in Ireland for over 40 years. He is a Southern California native who coached and taught in that area for 10 years before leaving for the mission field. He and his wife Celesta have planted churches and helped to develop sports ministry as a tool for churches to do evangelism throughout the country. Discipleship and evangelism are the main emphases of their ministry. James is now retired but continues to impact others through teaching basketball skills at local schools and has authored materials like "Meet My Head Coach," which has been translated into many languages and used by organizations such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Athletes in Action. Celesta was the head of the Humanities Department of a local university. Her area of expertise is in social care, and she has authored a textbook on the subject which is being used throughout Ireland.

Ken Crenshaw is our guest for this episode. He is entering his eighth season as the Director of Sports Medicine and Performance after serving 12 years as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Crenshaw was the head athletic trainer for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 2003 to 2005 and served as the assistant athletic trainer for the Rays from 1998-2002. While with the Rays, Crenshaw shared “Major League Baseball Athletic Training Staff of the Year” honors in 2005 and the “Dick Martin Athletic Training Staff of the Year” honors in 2004 with Ron Porterfield. He also served as the organization’s Minor League athletic training and conditioning coordinator for the 1996 and 1997 seasons. Prior to joining Tampa Bay, Crenshaw worked for seven years as a professional athletic trainer, including four years as Minor League conditioning coordinator for the Atlanta Braves from 1992 to 1995. He also served as an athletic trainer in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system from 1989 to 1991, working with affiliates in Princeton, WV., and Welland, Ontario. A native of Carrizozo, N.M., Crenshaw received an undergraduate degree in sports medicine from New Mexico State University in 1990. He is a certified member of the NATA and the (NSCA) National Strength & Conditioning Association. In his spare time, Crenshaw coaches youth football, basketball and baseball programs. Crenshaw, his wife, Robyn, and their sons, Wacy, Wyatt, and Dustin, reside in Chandler, AZ.

Our guest for this episode of the Holding the Ladder in Sport and Leadership podcast is Rendell Jackson, Ed. S., CMAA. He is the Program Manager for Middle School Athletics for Atlanta (GA) Public Schools (APS). Jackson is part of a team that organizes athletic programing for 15 APS middle schools 11 high schools, and 2 charter schools. It is his specialization in community development that led to his partnership with L.E.A.D. and the development of his family’s non-profit, The Books for Miles Foundation. Before joining the APS Department of Athletics, Jackson worked as a physical education teacher and Athletic Director for Martin Luther King Middle School. As a physical education teacher, his dedication to the field earned him The Atlanta Families’ Awards for Excellence in Education. He continues to serve his community as the Assault on Illiteracy Program chair for Tau Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He enjoys spending time with his wife Jan and son Miles, donating books, coaching baseball, and leading change in the community.  The Macon, GA native played college football at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II University of West Georgia, then played one season for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League (CFL). More on Jackson: Athletic Overview & Leadership / Rendell Jackson [https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/Page/70628]

Our guest for this episode of the Holding the Ladder in Sport and Leadership podcast is Bubba Schweigert. He began his coaching career at his alma mater, Jamestown College (now University of Jamestown), in 1988. After 15 seasons as an assistant at the University of North Dakota (UND), he became defensive coordinator in 1997, helping lead UND to its first National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II National Championship in 2001. Schweigert was named the AFCA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year in 2000. He became head coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth from 2004 to 2007, leading the Bulldogs to a North Central Conference (NCC) title, one NCAA playoff appearance, and earning regional Coach of the Year honors. Later, as defensive coordinator at Southern Illinois (2008-2013), his defense ranked atop in the Missouri Valley in 2010. Schweigert returned to UND in 2014, where he had a 66-57 head coaching record over 11 seasons, with five NCAA playoff appearances. His overall head coaching record stands at 88-78. Schweigert holds a bachelor’s in business administration from Jamestown College and a master’s from UND. He is married to Laura, and they have two sons, Alex and Cooper. More on Schweigert: Bubba Schweigert - Football Coach - University of North Dakota Athletics [https://fightinghawks.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/bubba-schweigert/1871]

Dr. Mallard (Mal) Owen is our guest for this episode of the Holding the Ladder in Sport and Leadership podcast. Owen has over 30 years of senior leadership experience having launched new businesses, nurtured startups, guided non-profits, and transformed struggling organizations. Central to his success has been building strong teams, creating winning strategic alliances, providing an outstanding work environment, maximizing existing resources, and leveraging new technologies and information systems. Importantly for sustainable success, he believes that “how you get there” is as important as “what you achieve.” Owen's leadership and consulting talents have led him to work across a wide range of organizations in fields such as health/wellness, information technology, hospitality, arts and culture, legal, government/defense contractors, and executive search. Prior to his work in the commercial and non-profit sectors, he was trained as a research scientist. He received a prestigious NIH grant to complete his doctorate degree in exercise physiology from The University of Iowa. He went on to receive a post-doc through another grant to continue his research on the neurophysiology of body temperature regulation in the College of Medicine at The Ohio State University. Owen has been very active in non-profit service and professional organizations in the areas of community service, workforce development, and small business support. One of Mal’s most cherished activities in the Washington, DC, area was his five-year role as the co-leader of one of the largest, non-profit career support groups in the U.S. Recognized for its accomplishments by the U.S. Department of Labor, the group’s success led to his being invited multiple times by two Secretaries of Labor to provide his insights in focus groups and participate in special events hosted at the White House. Dr. Owen's LinkedIn profile in the link:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallardowen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallardowen] The link for information and to register for the 2nd Annual Phoenix Character in Leadership Conference:  https://accelerated.uj.edu/events/uscil-phoenix-leadership-conference-2025/ [https://accelerated.uj.edu/events/uscil-phoenix-leadership-conference-2025/]