Athletics and student development
For athletic departments, coaches, student-athletes, and youth mentoring programs. Dr. Starks has mentored athletes and coaches at Wofford College since 2010, on the campus where he earned his own degree on scholarship.
What the work addresses
A team asks young people from different neighborhoods, cultures, and upbringings to trust each other and play as one. Dr. Starks helps coaches, staff, and mentors understand where each young person is coming from and lead from there, using the four constructs the Framework is built on: identity, culture, diversity, and respect.
His own path ran through sports and school. He had moved seven times by the time he turned 17, and a scholarship to Wofford College gave him what he calls the first stable home he had ever known.
"Sports and education became my lifeline. I poured myself into discipline, intentionality, and resilience. I knew if I wanted out, it was all on me."
Dr. Brian Chad StarksHis work with teams and programs
Mentoring in college athletics, and the path that started it.
- Since 2010Wofford College, Spartanburg, South Carolina
Mentoring for athletes and coaches on cultural differences.
- 1994Wofford College
BA in Sociology, earned on scholarship.
Organizations he has worked with
- North Carolina A&T State University Athletics
- Wofford College
- Bridge Builders Youth Mentoring Program, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity
His work with these organizations includes consulting, speaking, training, academic and staff positions, leadership roles, research collaborations, and community service. A name on this list is not an endorsement.
In their words
"Dr. Starks has been gracious enough over the past several years to speak and consult with our football team. He has a great story, one that really connected with our student athletes. His story is from the heart, a real life success story of overcoming the odds. It's been over two decades since I first met that bright kid with the big smile, the tough mind, and the warrior heart."
"Dr. Starks analogized social justice work to participating in a high-caliber sports game: without continued and proper training, how can you expect to do well? How many cultures have you played with?"
How teams and programs work with him
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Mentoring and advising
Coaches, athletes, and staffOngoing work with a team or department, the way he has worked with athletes and coaches at Wofford College since 2010.
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Training for coaches and staff
One session or a seriesBuilt on the four constructs and shaped to the people on your roster and your staff.
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Keynotes
Banquets, team meetings, leadership eventsFor team meetings, athletic banquets, and student leadership events, built around his own story.
One Framework, applied to athletics and student development
Every engagement is built on the Be The Messenger Framework: four constructs, and the Messenger Method that runs underneath them. The Framework stays the same from one field to the next. What changes is how it is applied to the specific challenges, culture, professional responsibilities, and institutional conditions of the people in the room.
- IdentityWho you are
- CultureWhere you come from
- DiversityWhat connects us
- RespectHow you show up
The Messenger Method: Self-Reflection, Self-Awareness, and Self-Consciousness.
Request a proposal
Tell us about the team or program, who would be in the room, and when. We will come back with a shape for the engagement.
- Your request goes to Dr. Starks' office.
- We reply with availability and set up a short call to shape the engagement.
- You get a proposal, a W-9, and anything else your business office needs.
Rather talk first? Book a training consultation or a keynote and speaking call.
Prefer email or phone? info@brianchadstarks.com or 434-329-9002.