Seeking to empower and impact the development of women athletes, staff, and girls in the Bethlehem community, in 2022, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert ’86 ’23P established the Cathy Engelbert LEAD (Leadership, Empowerment, Athletics, and Distinction) Scholars Program at Lehigh. The program launched this summer as the first cohort of seven undergraduate student-athletes came together on campus.
The young women have different majors, play different sports, and are from different class years, so finding common ground was important. “We had them all live in the same dorm during the Summer I session to give the women some informal community time in addition to the formal work they did together,” said Cait Gillard, assistant director of athletics leadership development. “The cohort became really close because of that.”
In addition to leadership development activities with Gillard and Director of Athletics Leadership Development Julie Ammary ’07, the summer intensive included women guest speakers from across campus sharing their stories and advice about confidence and leadership, including Rita Jones, director of the Center for Gender Equity; Denise Beautreau, director of student access and success; and Heather Johnson, associate professor of sociology. The group even got an opportunity to spend a morning with Engelbert herself, hearing her story and the reasons why the LEAD program is so important to her.
“Cathy told us that she wished there had been a program like LEAD during her time here. It was powerful to hear about her vision, knowing that I am among the first at Lehigh to experience this program,” said Lauryn Heskin ’25, a marketing and psychology double major and middle-distance runner on Lehigh’s track and field team. “I came out of the summer intensive feeling more confident in myself as a student, athlete, and leader. I’m excited to get back to Lehigh in the fall to continue the development we started this summer.”
There was time for exploration and bonding during weekly movement sessions in which the cohort had golf and tennis lessons with the head women’s coaches of those programs, as well as yoga and barre classes. Informally, the group took a trip to the beach and participated in an escape room together.
The last component of the summer intensive was meeting for weekly one-on-ones with Gillard and Ammary. “This helped the women really start to process what they were learning about their own leadership,” Gillard said.
“It’s been very eye-opening for me personally and has changed my perspective on leadership,” said Kaylee Van Eps ’25, a human resources management major and basketball guard. “It’s also been fun getting to know other women leaders with similar mindsets who are student-athletes in different sports.”
Because it is very important to Engelbert that the program includes a male component, the cohort will be joined in the fall by a small group of male student-athletes who will work alongside the cohort to learn leadership and what it means to support women leaders. The first cohort will finish up in the spring of 2024 with a community engagement project of its own choosing, and a new cohort will begin in the summer.
“We’re so grateful for all the support we’ve received from athletics administration, our campus partners, and Cathy and her vision,” Gillard said. “This program will have a long-lasting impact on the women and men who are able to participate in it — and beyond.”