O'Brien Student-Athlete Leadership Initiative
The O'Brien Student-Athlete Leadership Initiative Fund was established by Colleen and Bill O'Brien '88 to improve collaboration between academic and athletic leadership on campus.
Through a series of workshops, guest speakers, and team service, the goal of the initiative is to ensure the work of Prep coaches and student-athletes positively impacts the Prep community. Because good players are good people too.
Guest Speaker Series
Strong mentors build strong leaders. Each year, guest speakers are brought in to engage with student-athletes on a variety of topics. Former guest lecturers include, Bill O'Brien '88 (pictured above), current Head Coach of the Boston College Football Team and former Offensive Coordinator for the New England Patriots, Joe Heskett, former Division I Head Coach of Wrestling at the United States Military Academy, and Nancy Frates P'03 '06, mother to Pete Frates '03 and ALS advocate.
See Bill O'Brien Give his Lecture on Student Leadership in 2019
Upcoming Speakers
Jay Urich | Thursday, April 30
Jay Urich is the founder of Banner Player Development, an organization focused on developing high school student athletes on and off the field by helping to build character, develop core skills and find purpose outside of sport. Jay, a former football student-athlete at the University of South Carolina, will meet with spring sports team captains to lead them in a day-long workshop.
Todd Wright '88 | Date to be Determined
Todd Wright, a member of the Class of 1988, is the assistant coach and VP of player performance for the Los Angeles Clippers. Todd also founded Train 4 The Game, an organization of coaches that work individually with players to assess skills, build strength and assist with players overall health. Todd focuses primarily on athlete's mental health, and will speak with student athletes about improving their performance and how to build resilience as they continue their careers as athletes.
Program Highlights
Advisory Council
Balancing the responsibilities of being a student-athlete can be difficult. The O'Brien Leadership Program sponsors the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, a group comprised of students grades 7-11 that meets regularly with the Athletic Administration to support student-athletes as they navigate their lives in the classroom and out on the field.
Community Service
Each season, teams participate in a program wide community service project. This allows student-athletes to enrich the wider community through good citizenship while forging bonds as a team. Teams also participate in programming through charitable organizations which sponsor games and events for the greater community.
Leadership Council
As a part of the Leadership Institute, varsity captains across all sports meet with Athletic Administration, coaches, faculty, staff and alumni to discuss leadership. The goal is to educate team leaders on what it means to be a captain of a team, grounded in the ideas of servant leadership. Guest speakers are also invited to meet with captains for smaller group workshops.