50 women who have made a positive difference to me – Michelle Harrolle

2022 - On the 50th anniversary of Title IX, I have been and will continue to shine a light on 50 women who have been amazing teachers, thereby affecting my sports career as well as the careers of other women and men in sport.

Michelle Harrolle: Giving back to Title IX

Title IX was not intended to take something away from men’s athletics. Rather, it was intended to add a seat at the table for women to grow into the country’s future leaders. This would expand the pie, allowing men and women an equal opportunity to develop.

Dr. Bill Sutton, Chairman of the Vinik Sports and Entertainment Program at the University of South Florida, had the same idea. He hired Dr. Michelle Harrolle to be USF’s faculty. And upon Bill’s retirement in 2019, he recommended Michelle to become a Director of the Vinik Sport and Entertainment Management Program!

Michelle had been both a varsity scholarship swimmer and higher education swim coach. She loved teaching and helping students and wanted to focus her career on that. So, after coaching in a number of colleges for 10 years, Michelle returned to school to earn her doctorate. This eventually led her to teach at USF in 2013 and then become a Director of the Vinik Sport and Entertainment Management Program six years later. In 2021, SportBusiness ranked USF’s graduate sports program was ranked #3 in the world!

I got to know Michelle at the start of a Women in Sports and Events event in Tampa. Hundreds of women came together to launch the new Tampa chapter. Then Michelle and I conferred at other sport industry conferences, events where professors share their findings and insights to develop curriculum to best educate students. Michelle and USF partner with our TeamWorkU program, which provides students in-depth career coaching services.

Title IX afforded Michelle athletic experiences as a student, coach and teacher. And now Michelle is giving back as an industry leadership professor and director.

We extend our thanks to the politicians and educators who fought for and believed in the value of women. Michelle Harrolle is a splendid example of how Title IX has delivered and is delivering. She was a scholarship athlete and is now helping others at USF’s Vinik Sports and Entertainment program.

TeamWork Online is the leading hiring platform and talent community in sports and entertainment. Our mission is to connect talented people with the right employers. If your career has been positively affected by one of the women, please share your comments.