Stevie Baker Watson

Stevie Baker-Watson has been the DePauw Athletic Director for almost a year now, and to commemorate her successful beginning I selected her as this week’s Campus Celebrity.

HC: Stevie, we have met before, but I would love to know more about you, and I am sure our readers would as well. Would you mind giving HerCampus a brief introduction?

Stevie: Not at all. I am from Deerfield, Illinois. I was involved in sports all throughout high school as both a player and referee. After high school I attended Ohio University. Once college was over I moved back to Chicago and began coaching high school, club, and college volleyball. I made the decision to go back to school and received my masters from Northeastern Illinois University. I worked as an athletic trainer at Saint Xavier, Aurora University, and then as an assistant athletic director at North Central College. I got to a point at North Central that I knew that it was the right time for me to go, I was ready for a change and over the years I had attainted good experience and developed a confidence that helped me to reinforce my decision that I needed something new.

HC: How did you decide that that something new was DePauw?

Stevie: Working in a Division III school you learn a lot about other institutions similar to your school. I had heard about DePauw and Page Cotton’s retirement, so I decided to look into it. What I found out was that DePauw was the perfect fit for me; it was in the Midwest, the students wanted to excel and be better, and DePauw was a university that had been successful, that knew what success was. After the realization that this was the place where I wanted to be, I began going on the website everyday to see when Cotton’s retirement time would be posted and as soon as it was my application was put in and the interviewing process began.

HC: Obviously you got the job, and as a student athlete I think that your first year went pretty well, you brought about a lot of change that we needed.  What do you think about your first year as the athletic director?

Stevie: You’re right, lots of changes around here, basically night and day, but every change was made for the betterment of the student experience. Some personnel changes happened that weren’t on my radar. It was really all about observing, getting to know people, tweak, polish, and shine. The new buildings were another surprise. The donations we received and the new facilities that are being created because of them was an unexpected, but exciting process.

HC: Yes, I am so pumped for those, keeping my fingers crossed that the new gym and stadium will be built in time for my senior year.

Stevie: That’s what we are shooting for. Another thing that I really worked on this year was enforcing a winning mentality in our coaches. I believe that it is important for our sports teams to have a winning attitude; they need to think that they can do it. I am all about moving forward and doing what works best for this campus. I have always been all about change, I love change, but the key here is tradition, my goal is to incorporate and have both.

HC: Are there any upcoming events that our readers should know about?

Stevie: We will continue to work on the new facilities.  There will be a motivational speaker, Sue Enquist, coming to campus on April. Men and women’s lacrosse is beginning; the boys have an away scrimmage February 9th, which is exciting. And then I am looking forward to the changes that have been made within the football staff. I think that the new coaches are going to bring a new dynamic to the team and this next season should be interesting.

HC: Yeah, that whole football thing seemed intense, but I am glad that it is all working out. Last question, what do you see for your future?

Stevie: I can see myself here for the next ten years, if I am allowed to be, I would like to stay here and see the campus evolve. Stevie Baker-Watson has been the DePauw Athletic Director for almost a year now, and to commemorate her successful beginning I selected her as this week’s Campus Celebrity.

HC: Stevie, we have met before, but I would love to know more about you, and I am sure our readers would as well. Would you mind giving HerCampus a brief introduction?

Stevie: Not at all. I am from Deerfield, Illinois. I was involved in sports all throughout high school as both a player and referee. After high school I attended Ohio University. Once college was over I moved back to Chicago and began coaching high school, club, and college volleyball. I made the decision to go back to school and received my masters from Northeastern Illinois University. I worked as an athletic trainer at Saint Xavier, Aurora University, and then as an assistant athletic director at North Central College. I got to a point at North Central that I knew that it was the right time for me to go, I was ready for a change and over the years I had attainted good experience and developed a confidence that helped me to reinforce my decision that I needed something new.

HC: How did you decide that that something new was DePauw?

Stevie: Working in a Division III school you learn a lot about other institutions similar to your school. I had heard about DePauw and Page Cotton’s retirement, so I decided to look into it. What I found out was that DePauw was the perfect fit for me; it was in the Midwest, the students wanted to excel and be better, and DePauw was a university that had been successful, that knew what success was. After the realization that this was the place where I wanted to be, I began going on the website everyday to see when Cotton’s retirement time would be posted and as soon as it was my application was put in and the interviewing process began.

HC: Obviously you got the job, and as a student athlete I think that your first year went pretty well, you brought about a lot of change that we needed.  What do you think about your first year as the athletic director?

Stevie: You’re right, lots of changes around here, basically night and day, but every change was made for the betterment of the student experience. Some personnel changes happened that weren’t on my radar. It was really all about observing, getting to know people, tweak, polish, and shine. The new buildings were another surprise. The donations we received and the new facilities that are being created because of them was an unexpected, but exciting process.

HC: Yes, I am so pumped for those, keeping my fingers crossed that the new gym and stadium will be built in time for my senior year.

Stevie: That’s what we are shooting for. Another thing that I really worked on this year was enforcing a winning mentality in our coaches. I believe that it is important for our sports teams to have a winning attitude; they need to think that they can do it. I am all about moving forward and doing what works best for this campus. I have always been all about change, I love change, but the key here is tradition, my goal is to incorporate and have both.

HC: Are there any upcoming events that our readers should know about?

Stevie: We will continue to work on the new facilities.  There will be a motivational speaker, Sue Enquist, coming to campus on April. Men and women’s lacrosse is beginning; the boys have an away scrimmage February 9th, which is exciting. And then I am looking forward to the changes that have been made within the football staff. I think that the new coaches are going to bring a new dynamic to the team and this next season should be interesting.

HC: Yeah, that whole football thing seemed intense, but I am glad that it is all working out. Last question, what do you see for your future?

Stevie: I can see myself here for the next ten years, if I am allowed to be, I would like to stay here and see the campus evolve.