Taking her talents to South Beach: Checking in with Dr. Windy Dees
Upon graduating from UF with a degree in sport management, Professor Windy Dees now spreads her knowledge of the subject at the University of Miami to students interested in the field she has already taken over.
Her road to Miami
After completing her master’s degree in Sport Management at UF, Dees earned her Ph.D. in Sport Management and Marketing from Texas A&M University.
After, she was an Assistant Professor for three years at Georgia Southern University before becoming a tenure-line professor at the University of Miami.
What is she doing now?
Currently at UM, she is the director of on campus and online graduate programs in Sport Administration. In addition, she has research specializations in Sports Marketing and Corporate Sponsorship.
Dees is also the President-Elect of the Sports Marketing Associations and Executive Editor of the Global Sport Business Journal. She has planned conferences and meetings connecting her students to professionals in the business.
Dees highlights the best part of her job as the people she interacts with on a daily basis. She finds happiness in the students she teaches and the business professionals she connects with through industry partnerships.
Challenges and excitements faced
Dr. Dees has found her mentorship work important to her career. She thoroughly enjoys mentoring students at all levels in sports business and helping them attain and advance their careers in the industry.
Achieving tenure is hard to do for any professor and Dees highlights it as a major accomplishment. She did so at a research intensive institution while also maintaining engagement with industry and building a network that will help her and her students grow professionally.
Another point of emphasis for her is keeping close ties to her Gator roots.
Advice to those still in school
Polish your communication skills in all areas. Make sure you are a strong writer, public speaker, and presenter. Your communication skills and level of professionalism are often the two things that make your first impression, but they are also highly desirable job skills that companies want in the long term.
Dr. Dees goes over the importance of getting involved right away. This includes joining clubs, volunteering, finding internships, getting leadership and management experience, do some writing, attend conferences and networking events.
Anything that you do that puts lines on your resume and builds your professional network will lead to greater success. This goes for all fields of study including sports business.
