Question and answer with new athletic director, Chelsey Warburton

This archived article was written by: Alex Morrell

Only 12 percent of D1-athletic directors are women. At USU Eastern starting June 1, a woman will the head Eastern’s Athletic Department.
Chelsey Warburton was named as the new athletic director in March and will be the second female athletic director in state history. In this week’s addition of the Eagle, Warburton exprressed her thoughts of the new position.
Q: What intrigued you about the job?
A:  The opportunity to work closer with the teams, coaches, staff, campus and community.  I enjoy my job and the people I work with here at USU Eastern and I support the direction athletics is going.
Q: What are your day to day responsibilities as the AD?
A:  Daily responsibilities will range from fundraising, game management, scholarships, assisting coaches with schedules and travel, management of BDAC staff and athletes, working with campus and community and any daily needs of the department.
Q: In what ways do you feel you have been prepared to be an AD at the college level?
A: Over the past several years I have been able to work and learn alongside Coach Paur.  I understand the roles of the coaches, student-athletes and the relationships needed within the department.  As Greg Dart mentioned, there will be a learning curve but I am excited to move forward.  
Q: How do you feel you’ll be able to handle not only the responsibilities of  an AD but also the role as WBB head coach?
A: Both roles and responsibilities are important to me, with the help I have around me I am confident I can handle the responsibilities.  Coach Paur has been a great mentor for me, I have a dedicated assistant coach and a vice-chancellor who is very much involved.
Q: What is your vision for the athletic department as a whole?
A: To continue building on the current relationships with the institution and community.  The Chancellor, Greg Dart and Coach Paur have been instrumental in the progress being made with athletics.  My vision for USU Eastern is for everyone to know who we are and what we are about, to share and expand on the positive opportunities and experiences gained here at USU Eastern.   
Q: In 20 years what do you want to be remembered for?
A:  With the help of the athletic department as a whole along with the campus and community, it is my hope that USU Eastern will be remembered and viewed for its vision of excellence. 
Q: Anything else you want to cover, that wasn’t covered in the questions?
A: I am grateful for this opportunity and for the amazing support on and off campus.
As you can tell by her answers, Coach Warburton is a woman of few words. Although she is as competitive as they come and wants to do nothing more than have success at Eastern to put the college on the map.
In recent years it has been the focus of USU Eastern administration to put a focus on athletics in a way to reboost the student population as well as add diversity.
According to Ksl.com press release, “Utah State Eastern is focused on the complete development of student-athletes. Under a new vision, the institution has added men’s and women’s soccer, softball, rodeo and a spirit squad. The school also signed an exclusive deal with Under Armour apparel, athletic fundraising has reached new heights and a rebranding effort has been introduced. In total, Utah State Eastern has about 230 student- athletes.”
With this focus on athletics, it will be Warburton’s job to make sure that it continues to grow as well as continue to build towards excellence.
Is Warburton up for the task? That is a question that time will only tell. For continued updates on the athletic department throughout the summer. Make sure to like and follow The Eagle newspaper on Facebook @TheEagleOnline.