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Minding My Business: NCAA Final Four Exec Dir & CEO Dawn Rogers On Logistics, Planning

Name: Dawn Rogers

Position: ’17 NCAA Final Four Exec Dir & CEO

Where I’m from
: Ithaca, N.Y.

Where I call home
: Phoenix

Focusing on right now
: We are focusing a lot on the logistics that surround the Final Four, kind of the last straggling to-do items. It is amazing to me on how close you can be to an event and still be fine-tuning a lot of the details, and people are comfortable with the time frame that we are in. Our days are full but we are crossing a lot of things off the list.

Best advice
: My best advice is to be kind. I say that, and that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to make hard decisions and you don’t have to be a strong leader, but there is a way that you can conduct your business that really centers on being kind to people.

Exec I admire: The people that I admire the most are the student-athletes that I have worked with over the past 25 years. You watch them grow and develop and mature. One of the things that sometimes they don’t realize is that they are what motivates you, they are what makes you a better administrator.

A must for a new hire: Because our team is small, it is important, especially when we’re putting this team together, that you have a person that is not only really knowledgeable and good at their job but also their personality and how good they are with the team. That’s unique to this position, because every organization that you’re with will be different.

Book shelf: I enjoy reading and I usually enjoy reading a good mystery, because you kind of lose yourself in that book. But as my kids have been in high school they have always had a summer reading list. So I started reading the same books that they read so that we could talk about them and I could ask them questions and make sure that they read the book. One of my favorite reads has been one that is called “FINDING GOD IN THE SHACK,” by RANDAL RAUSER. I enjoyed the book because it really made me think. There were times that you had to keep reading to kind of come back around to what the author was getting at, and I really enjoyed that.

First thing in the morning: The perfect morning for me is when I can get up and work out. I like to get on the elliptical because I can turn on “SPORTSCENTER” and I can email at the same time. I can get a good set of emails back and forth with my correspondents and get a good workout in before I head to the office. That, for me, is the perfect way to start my day.

Talking tech: I am really boring in this area. I have two children that keep me relevant and help me out when new things are introduced. I do depend on my laptop. I have had to learn a couple new systems in working with the NCAA -- the technology that they use to share documents and schedule. That has been a learning curve for me. I am always a bit hesitant and find that I have to just dive in and make sure that I understand it.

Food for thought: We have the most amazing restaurants in Phoenix. I really enjoy The Farm at South Mountain. It’s all farm-to-table, and it’s in this beautiful pecan grove in the middle of Phoenix. I love how we are one of the top 10 cities in size and yet we still have ambiance and unique places like that to go.

How I unwind: I enjoy coming home at night and sitting down with my family. We sit there and fight over what we’re going to watch on TV. My daughter wants to watch an NBA game, my husband wants to watch reruns of “MODERN FAMILY.” And that really has become my favorite part of the day, to come home and listen to the banter. We just have a funny and fun dynamic in our family.

Day in the life: Throughout my whole career, my day is a mix of planned out projects, things I need to take care of and a lot of troubleshooting. That’s what has always made me enjoy my work. No two days are the same, and you’re working with teams of amazing individuals.

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