Meg Stevens joined Arizona Athletic Grounds in July 2024, following an eleven-year tenure at Averett University (AU). At AU, she served as Vice President and Director of Athletics and Campus Operations, leading the institution to remarkable athletic and academic achievements. Stevens significantly enhanced the student-athlete experience, spearheaded major capital improvements, and elevated the university's regional and national profiles.
During her time at Averett, Stevens introduced the “3-2-1” philosophy, which aimed for all teams to achieve a 3.0 GPA, finish in the top two in their conference, and work together as "one team." This philosophy fostered a culture change that spread across the entire university.
Before Averett, Stevens held multiple roles at Buffalo State, including Assistant Director of Athletics, Director of the CHAMPS/Life Skills Program, and advisor for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). She also served as the Senior Woman Administrator and head lacrosse coach for 11 seasons. Under her leadership, Buffalo State’s women’s lacrosse program became a consistent contender, achieving a 109-65 (.626) record, six conference tournament appearances, a 2012 NCAA Tournament appearance, and a top 20 ranking. Stevens was named SUNYAC Coach of the Year twice and U.S. Lacrosse Regional Coach of the Year in 2004.
Stevens has also been active in leadership roles beyond her university positions. She served on the board of directors for Women Leaders in Sports, including a term as president from 2023-24, and on the board for the Boys and Girls Club of Danville. She is a strong advocate for women and minority leaders in sports.
A native of Delmar, N.Y., Stevens earned her bachelor’s degree in recreation and leisure management with a minor in sports management from SUNY Cortland and a master’s degree in student personnel administration from Buffalo State. As a student-athlete, she helped the Red Dragons’ lacrosse team win three conference championships and make three NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2024, Stevens was inducted into the Western New York Chapter of the USA Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
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Guiding Growth: Conversations with Community Leaders
Join our hosts, Sarah Watts and Ben Kalkman, as we explore the human journey of leaders - their stories of humility, triumph, roadblocks, and lessons learned - as they reflect on how they became who they are today and share stories of inspiration and hope with listeners. We'll take away the title, just for a moment, and enjoy a connection with the soul.
Be sure to subscribe to our show for more interviews with community leaders.
This podcast is brought to you by the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce and Modern Moments. Learn more about our show at https://guidinggrowth.co. View our Privacy Policy at https://modernmoments.com/privacy
Guiding Growth
Conversations with Community Leaders
So often, we define ourselves and others by a title or label. But, who is the person behind the success? Leaders are inspiring, memorable, and often a mystery to those whom they inspire.
Join our hosts, Sarah Watts and Ben Kalkman, as we explore the human journey of leaders - their stories of humility, triumph, roadblocks, and lessons learned - as they reflect on how they became who they are today and share stories of inspiration and hope with listeners.
We'll take away the title, just for a moment, and enjoy a connection with the soul.
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Guiding Growth is brought to you by the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce and Modern Moments
Meet the Hosts
Sarah Watts was named the President & CEO of the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce in July 2020. She joined the Chamber’s team in 2008, and throughout her career, has placed emphasis on collaborative dialogue across industry sectors and job functions and enjoys bringing diverse groups together to solve the challenges that the community may encounter.
Sarah is a graduate (summa cum laude) of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication with a BA in Journalism, emphasis in Public Relations, and a minor in Communication (2002). She is a graduate of the Gilbert Leadership program (Class 21), and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Talent Pipeline Management (2019) and Institute for Organizational Management (2020) programs.
Sarah lives in Gilbert, Arizona, with her husband, two children, and two dogs.
Ben Kalkman is the founder of several businesses, including Rocket Media, a marketing agency, and Modern Moments, a wedding and event venue. Creating solutions to solve problems is a key ingredient in what drives Ben’s professional inspiration. Ben lives by a simple purpose, to lead, by living a balanced and focused life and caring enough to make a significant difference in all that I do.
Ben is a graduate of Kansas State University with a BFA degree in graphic design and communication arts. He is a graduate of the Gilbert Leadership program (Class 25), currently serves on the board for Gilbert Parks & Recreation, and is part of several podcast shows, including, Guiding Growth, Shorts-N-Suits, and Modern Moments Blogcast.
Ben resides in Gilbert, Arizona, with his wife and nine children.