About

KU LEADS is a student-athlete development unit that focuses on leadership training, community engagement, and professional development to enhance the student-athlete experience. KU LEADS works in collaboration with K Club, our alumni group, to teach the student-athletes the history and traditions of Kansas Athletics. The goal of KU LEADS is to support current student-athletes, connect past and present student-athletes, and educate student-athletes the professional skills necessary to succeed at the University of Kansas and throughout their personal and professional life.

Mission Statement

The mission of KU LEADS is to develop committed student-athlete leaders who represent the University of Kansas and its intercollegiate athletic programs with pride, integrity, and intense competitive spirit.

Educate. Education is the key to unlocking the unlimited potential of collegiate and professional athletes. Anomaly takes creative and thoughtful approaches to drive meaningful collaborations for comprehensive learning.

Inspire. Our goal is to inspire student-athletes to maximize their potential. We do this by inspiring student-athletes to take ownership of their experience and invest in their personal and professional development. KU Leads inspires student-athletes to learn and evolve by relating concepts to their unique experience.

Empower. KU Leads empowers student-athletes to own their experiences and grow confidence in their abilities.

Engage. KU Leads facilitates opportunities for student-athletes to engage with the Jayhawk community.

Rock Chalk Choice Awards

Every year we celebrate our student-athlete's accomplishments with the Rock Chalk Choice Awards. The event includes a red carpet, guest speakers and plenty of awards given out!

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Rock Chalk Ring Day

Each Holiday Season, Jayhawks across all sports teams support the Salvation Army by volunteering to ring bells for the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign.

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Areas of Focus

Traditions Night

K-Ring Celebration

Rock Chalk Choice Awards

JayRock Variety Show

International SA Gatherings

OneTeam Games

Leadership Academy

Emerging Leaders Retreat

SAAC

RISE

Conference Attendance (Black Student-Athlete Summit, NCAA Leadership Forum)

NEW: International Trip

One-on-One Individual Meetings

Team Workshops

Consulting with Coaches

PYT (Protect Your Talent)

KU Leads Jayhawk Career Blueprint is an enhanced career development program. Comprehensive curriculum that helps student-athletes develop professional skills, explore different career fields and trajectories, access job and internship opportunities, and build their networks. Through personalized career coaching, alumni support, employer outreach and training, Jayhawk student-athletes gain the tools and confidence to succeed post-graduation — whether in their sport, an advanced degree program or in the workforce.

Special Olympics

Each year, Kansas Athletics partners with Special Olympics Kansas to host a field day with Kansas student-athletes.

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Meet our Team

KU Leads Staff  
Maya Ozery, Ph.DSenior Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Developmentmozery@ku.edu
Scott Ward, Ph.DDirector of Peak Performance and Leadershipdsward@ku.edu
Ben WilsonSenior Director of Student-Athlete Development and Leadershipbwilson@ku.edu
Casey FinnellDirector of Student-Athlete DevelopmentCasey.finnell@ku.edu
Sam LooseCoordinator of Student-Athlete Developmentsamloose@ku.edu
Chris HughesStudent-Athlete Development Specialistchughes@kuathletics.com
Daniel HegartyGraduate Assistantdhegarty@ku.edu
Samantha PalominoGraduate Assistantspalomino1@ku.edu