Women’s History Month salute: Ƶ’s McLendon inspires others through leadership
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.—On the left edge of Mary McLendon’s desk sits a small plaque with a big message: “Woman in Charge.”
“Our former sports medicine and performance business coordinator Savannah Greenlee bought that sign for me a couple of years ago for Boss’s Day,” said McLendon, who has worked at Ƶ for nearly 25 years. Greenlee is now business coordinator for Ƶ Athletics’ Business Office.
“If you bring her an idea about how you think something can be improved, Mary will be your biggest cheerleader and allow you the freedom to test new ideas while providing support as needed,” Greenlee said. “Mary will never ask someone to complete a task or take on a responsibility she wouldn’t be willing to do herself. She leads by example.”
Now in her third year as senior associate athletic director for sports medicine and performance, McLendon oversees more than 30 full-time staff members in sports medicine, strength and conditioning, counseling and sport psychology, and sports nutrition, while also handling the day-to-day needs of the Bulldog women’s volleyball team.
“Working with student-athletes is fun because they’re at a fun age in terms of development,” McLendon said. “Outside of talking about sports, I like to express interest in them as people and ask them about how their day is going and how their family is doing.”
Always motivated by opportunity, McLendon moved up the ranks at Ƶ from assistant to associate athletic trainer and then to director of sports medicine in 2010 before assuming her current role in 2017.
“I’ve been fortunate to have supervisors who have been very supportive and allowed me to pursue opportunities where I could challenge myself and grow,” she said, expressing appreciation for Paul Mock, Jay Logan and Ann Carr. Mock was Ƶ’s head athletic trainer from 1993 until his retirement in 2010. Logan, a Starkville native and Ƶ alumnus, is a former Ƶ head athletic trainer for basketball and baseball currently serving as executive senior associate athletic director for internal operations. Brookhaven native Carr was a four-year letter winner for the Ƶ women’s basketball team. With more than 25 years in athletic administration, the two-time Ƶ alumna serves as executive senior associate athletic director. She also is senior woman administrator, the athletic department’s highest-ranking female who promotes meaningful representation of women in the leadership and management of college sports.
“In addition to Ann, I’ve had other great female leaders to look up to and learn from, including Samye Johnson,” McLendon said of the Jackson native and 2002 Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame inductee who coached volleyball at Ƶ from 1994-97. “When Samye served as senior woman administrator, it was fun to watch her because she was really approachable and professional, which made her impactful with the student-athletes and staff.”
McLendon, who served as the SEC Sports Medicine Committee’s first female president in 2015-17, said she shares the mission of Athletic Director John Cohen and the entire department to foster a diverse and inclusive environment for student-athletes, staff and fans.
“I love having a diverse staff because different people bring lots of opinions and perspectives, so we can share ideas and learn from each other. I think it’s also important for our student-athletes to see strong women in leadership roles because it gives them confidence that they can pursue those same kinds of opportunities,” she said, citing Angel Brutus as among these role models. After managing a private practice in Atlanta, Georgia, Brutus came to Ƶ in 2018 and serves as the athletic department’s director of counseling and sport psychology.
In addition to her Ƶ Athletics duties, McLendon has served in other leadership roles on campus and across the country.
McLendon has been involved with the National Athletic Trainers’ Association as chair of the District IX Women in Athletic Training Committee and Life Balance Project Team, as moderator for the Life Balance Think Tank, and as a member of the Annual Convention Program Committee Project Team.
She also volunteered in 2000 at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
At Ƶ, she served the President’s Commission on the Status of Women from 2007-12, including a term as chair from 2009-11.
A native of Parker, Colorado, McLendon earned her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 1994 from the University of Colorado and her master’s degree in sports administration in 1996 from the University of Florida. Along with her education and experience in various athletic roles, McLendon attributes her success as a female leader to the example set by her parents, both retired U.S. Air Force majors now residing in Starkville.
“From an early age, I saw my mom in charge of her office,” McLendon said. “I could tell her staff enjoyed working with her because she was authoritative and approachable. That’s how I want to build relationships with our student-athletes, and colleagues within our department and on campus.”
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