CLEVELAND (June 5, 2026) – The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and RADical Hope, a nonprofit that brings proven and fully-funded wellness programs to colleges, universities and sports teams nationwide, announced a partnership in advance of the 2026 NACDA & Affiliates Convention in Las Vegas.
RADical Hope will serve as a Convention sponsor and host a joint session on Monday, June 8, beginning at 10 a.m. PT, titled "I Count Too: Mental Performance & Resilience for Athletics Administrators and Staff." Through expert panel insights and peer-to-peer dialogue, attendees will explore practical strategies around self-care, resilience, and self-empowerment, with the recognition that high-performance cultures only thrive when the people behind them do, too.
"So much of the conversations in college athletics over the last several years have focused on student-athlete mental health, and for good reason," said NACDA Chief Executive Officer Pat Manak. "By collaborating with RADical Hope at our Convention, we are intending to expand these conversations to include the focus of our members as well. It is critical that athletics directors and their staff are taking care of themselves and their own mental health and well-being as they continue to navigate the challenges of our industry."
"There is no off season in college athletics. The pressure to excel in every facet of the business grows each year and we're committed to working with NACDA to address the consequences of this stress on administrators, staff and student-athletes," said RADical Hope Chief Executive Officer and President Liz Feld. "RADical Hope partners with athletics departments and professional sports teams to support the mental, physical and emotional health of their athletes. The well-being of the people behind the scenes is equally essential. During our NACDA & Affiliates Convention session, we'll share tools that reconnect these professionals with their principles; techniques to balance the weight of their responsibilities; and strategies to celebrate and deepen their sense of belonging in the world of college sports."
The RADical Hope session is open to all Convention attendees, and will provide valuable takeaways for administrators serving at all levels of college athletics. More details can be found in the #NACDA26 Convention mobile app.
About RADical Hope: RADical Hope develops, funds, and scales programs that empower young adults with skills to build resilience, manage stress and strengthen support systems so they're equipped to cope before they reach a crisis point. Over the last five years, RADical Hope has partnered with more than 90 colleges, universities, professional sports teams and community organizations to deliver its signature program. All content, resources, training and support are fully funded for partners. Learn more at www.radicalhopefoundation.org.
About NACDA: Now in its 61st year, NACDA is the professional and educational Association for more than 24,000 college athletics administrators at more than 2,300 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. NACDA manages 19 professional associations and four foundations. In addition to virtual programming, NACDA hosts and/or has a presence at seven major professional development events in-person annually. The NACDA & Affiliates Convention is the largest gathering of collegiate athletics administrators in the country. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.
