Nashville, Tenn. -- Five established and successful women administrators in collegiate and professional athletics spoke of their career experiences and challenges during a roundtable discussion, Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Women in Athletic Leadership.The forum was hosted by Vanderbilts Department of Athletics to stimulate thought and progress in the promotion of additional diversity in the athletic workplace. Current student-athletes from area colleges dotted the audience composed primarily of local coaches and administrators and members of the general public.The panel included Michelle Kennedy, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer of the Nashville Predators, Tiffany Daniels, Associate Commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, Beth DeBauche, Commissioner of the Ohio Valley Conference, Teresa Phillips, Director of Athletics at Tennessee State University and Candice Lee, Deputy Athletic Director at Vanderbilt University.The administrators were initially asked a variety of questions by Carolyn Peck, a national champion head coach now an associate coach on Vanderbilts womens basketball staff. Later in the program, the floor was opened to questions from the audience.There were many topics covered, including their thoughts on being immersed in a male-dominated enterprise, how to increase female participation in coaching and administration and the steps necessary to improve and/or change the current culture.Perhaps not surprisingly, this panel of strong leaders expressed a generally optimistic and encouraging message, seemingly agreeing that while much work is left to be done to promote more opportunity for women, progress is being made on a number of fronts.Several panelists were asked, for example, how they felt working in a culture that up to the relatively recent past was almost exclusively a mens only club. They cited hard work, mastery of basic skill sets, attention to detail and a firm belief in their own abilities as keys to their success.Ive never felt oppressed, never felt held back because I am a woman, Kennedy said.Commissioner DeBauche urged women not to assume that quality positions will automatically go to male candidates and to get themselves in the mix after confessing that it took her two inquiries from college presidents seeking commissioner candidates while she was at the NCAA that eventually went to women to realize she could become one herself.Daniels, a former University of Georgia student-athlete, said raising a generation of confident young women is vital.I never felt there was anything I couldnt do, Daniels said. I have a mindset that you are not going to out-work me and I want my two young daughters to believe there isnt anything they cant do either.Lee addressed the question of a lack of women in the college coaching ranks, citing a number of challenges including a pipeline issue of qualified candidates and misconceptions some women have regarding the work-life balance required in athletics. She observed that work-life balance in athletics seems to be more emphasized to women, perhaps sending a discouraging message.DeBauche interjected that there needs to be a change in the perception of what a successful coach looks like, noting the concept that successful coaches must sleep in their offices sends the wrong message.Phillips, like Lee and Kennedy a former Vanderbilt basketball student-athlete, talked about athletics as being a big family and affording opportunities to build life-long relationships. 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