AUGUSTA, GA -- The Peach Belt Conference continued its focus on providing resources and information to league student-athletes regarding behavioral health with a focus on the topic at the recent spring SAAC meeting and a panel discussion scheduled for this Thursday for league coaches and administrators. Both events bring league stakeholders together with a panel of renowned experts to further the goal of understanding the relationship between behavioral health and substance abuse disorder and recovery.

"Behavior health has been an emphasis for the Peach Belt and collegiate athletics at large for a few years," said PBC commissioner David Brunk. "We want to expand that conversation to include the aspects of mental well-being that could lead to substance abuse and create a community of support for those who are on the path to recovery."

The spring Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) meeting in Augusta featured the following panelists:

Kristina Canfield - Executive Director of the Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE)
Amanda Baker - Chief Executive Officer for BRC Healthcare in Austin, Texas
Quincy 'Q' Carter - Former UGA and NFL quarterback and co-creator of an initiative with BRC Recovery
Justin Harrison - Former PBC track & field student athlete at Augusta University

The panel for this Thursday's discussion with PBC coaches and administrators will also feature Canfield along with:

Lisa Cummins - Head Athletic Trainer at Augusta University
Jared Sandler - Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Medicine at Young Harris College
JR Payne - Head Women's Basketball Coach at the University of Colorado

Both panels are moderated by John Sterling, a retired U.S. Army Noncommissioned Officer and military intelligence professional. Sterling served and was certified as an Army Master Resiliency Trainer, teaching skills for career sustainment and enhancement to service members and their families. He founded the Azimuth Leadership LLC in 2017 to focus on behavioral health, personal transition and resiliency. In 2019 Sterling launched T.E.A.M. (Transition-Empowerment-Advocacy-Mindset) which includes annual summits, roundtable discussions and behavioral health consulting services.

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Other highlights from the spring PBC SAAC Meeting included:

• Emerging Leaders Certification from the Truist Leadership Institute - a two-part leadership course designed to identify the leadership strengths and weaknesses along with discovering a leadership purpose. Student-athletes will also have the opportunity to participate in a summer program that will enable them to become trainers of the Emerging Leaders Certification for their campus

• Discussions on current NIL legislation and the various corporate partners the PBC has engaged with that will provide guidance to student-athletes seeking to develop their brand

• General discussion on current PBC and NCAA policies following the recent NCAA Convention

The group also enjoyed a social outing at TopGolf in Augusta.