When Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State kickoff Saturday afternoon at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, there will be one certain individual in the stadium that will experience both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
Enter Mississippi State Deputy Athletics Director Leah Beasley.
Leah has a vested interest in both sides of the line of scrimmage in this particular match-up.
The two-time graduate of Louisiana Tech (Bachelor’s in Marketing in 2005; Master’s in Business Administration in 2006) and former Lady Techster softball student-athlete enters her ninth year in Starkville as part of State’s Senior Administration.
She is one of the rising stars in college athletics. And on Saturday, she will be pulling for … well the Bulldogs. Exactly how difficult is this game for the Ruston native.
“I’ve been asked that so many times,” said Leah. “What I keep saying is, Dogs win! There is always that feeling in your heart. You love your alma mater, and you want the best for them. And I have so much loyalty to Mississippi State because they have been so good to me here. I also live in the moment. I just want the Dogs to win.”
Okay Leah. Way to walk that tight rope.
After graduating from Tech in 2006, Leah spent the next seven years working for her alma mater, eventually becoming an Assistant AD for Marketing and making a name for herself as one of the best in the business. She said she owes a lot to LA Tech.
“What I loved about Tech in my role at Miss State is I did everything at LA Tech,” said Leah. “So when I’m asked a question here at State, especially in interviews, I can honestly say ‘Yes, I’ve done it.’ LA Tech is a place I got a variety of experiences, and I wore a variety of hats. Thus I helped build my resume and my career by how much I was able to do at one school that competes at a great level.”
Leah oversees Mississippi State’s five external pods of Broadcast Operations, Communications, Creative & Digital Strategy, Fan Experience/Outbound Sales and Marketing/Branding. She also serves as the primary sport administrator for the national champion Bulldog baseball program and the secondary administrator for football.
Has it been difficult to do this as a female in a very male world?
“I get asked this a lot,” she said. “Especially by our female staffers on our team who want to know my past and if they can get there and how hard it is as a female. I probably don’t give the answer they expect because I don’t feel that my gender has really affected my career. I have been so fortunate to have so many incredible mentors and colleagues, and I have never felt that I have been treated differently because of my gender; outside of some comical times when I may walk into a locker room.
“But just because that is my experience doesn’t mean it’s every female administrator’s experience. There are some women I know that have had a tough go of it. I would encourage them to find their male allies and stick with them. I would also encourage them to promote other women in athletics and talk to them about their experiences. Our ultimate goal is for women in athletics can get stronger.”
With 15 years in college athletics administration, what is Leah’s ultimate career goal?
“Most days I want to ultimately be an athletic director,” she said. “But to be honest, there are definitely days that I say, ‘Nope someone else can have it.’ I want to make sure that if I am an AD, that I am able to represent the whole of our student-athletes and institution. It’s hard sometimes. Most days I think I want it, and some days I am not sure.”
