Lauren Merdinyan

I attribute my success to my hard work and making my family proud. I've really tried to be a trailblazer for women in college athletics - there's not as many women in it, but I've been fortunate enough to have some very influential women in college athletics serve as a guiding light here at Washington and other places. I'm hungry to learn, but I also want to give back to the community and really help younger females in our industry advance, since there's not as many of them. I think being proactive has been really beneficial for myself and others I've noticed throughout my career. At the end of the day, hard work and asking the right questions is what really helps people advance.

The best career advice I've received is that it's about how many leaders you create instead of followers. This has really shaped my approach to leadership and being authentic in that leadership. It's so important to be mindful of all the different employee interactions and how to help grow my team. As we like to say here, we focus on keeping what makes our boat go faster - being inclusive and offering opportunities to get other people's perspectives really helps in our brainstorming here at UW.

I think the biggest challenge is understanding that college athletics is ever-changing and more unique than ever, with the pressure to generate revenue and all the different NIL aspects that come about. Being in a revenue generation department, we've had to learn to get a lot more creative and really push the envelope to get some money in the door for the athletic department and to support our student athletes. At the end of the day, we're here to support the student-athlete experience, to make sure they have the best possible time while they're attending the University of Washington, and that they have what they need to be successful on and off the court.

My most important values are grit and having a growth mindset. Being proactive has been really beneficial for myself and others I've noticed throughout my career. I think hard work at the end of the day is what really helps people advance, along with asking the right questions. I've been fortunate to be on various different committees that have helped me gain a wider perspective. What's unique about my role right now is that since I've been at other schools all over across the country, I'm able to provide that insight in this small industry.