LSU Athletics’

Training and Support Team

  • Ashleigh Clare-Kearney Thigpen

    ASSOCIATE AD: STRATEGIC ADVANCEMENT

    My role is to implement programs and education for our staff and coaches and ensure we utilize processes and procedures that remain equitable and advance the commitments of our department. Our goal is to build relationships, help team members feel valued and empowered, and create a transformational culture that is centered in our core values.

  • Dr. LaKeitha Poole, LPC-S

    ASST. AD/ DIRECTOR: STUDENT-ATHLETE MENTAL HEALTH

    My role is to anchor our department as a safe space for student-athletes to share, process, and grow from the experiences they’re having as it relates to their mental and emotional health. Our goal is to be a confidential and therapeutic resource for student-athletes to achieve all of their personal and performance goals with someone they enjoy meeting with and talking to.

  • Eddie St-Vil, PLPC

    DIRECTOR OF TRAINING & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

    My role is to provide guidance and advocacy to the LSU Athletics Department through the use of educational and wellness initiatives. Using activity-based trainings, I hope to promote awareness and comprehension of crucial issues affecting the holistic development of student-athletes and staff.

  • Lori Williams

    DEPUTY ATHLETICS DIRECTOR FOR LEADERSHIP & STRATEGY

    My role is to design and guide the vision for the department’s investment in our greatest asset — our people. Through a focused, strategic approach, we make deliberate decisions that exemplify our core values. In doing so, we create an environment in which all team members experience belonging.

LSU Sports Directory

How to Engage…

  • LSU Athletics hosts trainings for student-athletes, coaches and staff designed to challenge perspectives, identify patterns of behavior, and check our actions to ensure alignment with our core values. By building a solid foundation for our “Hiring Managers” & “Diversity Advocates,” we encourage our employees to think more broadly about our personal biases and how they may impact equitable hiring practices. Additional interactive trainings on Ethics, Power-Based Violence, Digital Content Accessibility, and Title IX help to guide our transformational culture.

  • By engaging in meaningful conversations with student-athletes on topics from social justice & healthy relationships to mental health & wellness, we create a community of mutual trust and respect. Whether education happens through the enrollment in the Life Skills and Leadership Development course or by simply meeting the student-athletes where they are, our trained counselors and educators provide students with an in-depth understanding and appreciation of how essential leadership and life skills can help facilitate optimal college success. Our continued commitment to Title IX and the prevention of sexual and domestic violence is a reminder of where we have been and road we are traveling.

  • Opportunities that develop through shared engagements with the university, the community, and our state provide purpose and remind us that we are Tigers United together. Meeting our fellow employees for “Coffee & Conversations” allows us to share our thoughts and feelings as well as perceptions and perspectives that make us all unique. The exchange of ideas and thoughts regarding controversial issues during “Lunch & Learn” discussions helps us explore viewpoints and foster understanding. By offering the opportunity to engage in the “Professional Excellence” programming, the staff is able to practice the skills meant to enhance the personal and professional journey in addition to cultivating a productive work environment. Our growing opportunity to communicate the strength of our Athletics community through social media and websites aims to raise awareness of our commitment to serve others which ultimately fosters growth & excellence.