Coleman Lew Leadership Award Winners Recognized

Charlotte, N.C.  (June 2, 2010)--Coleman Lew & Associates, Inc., a national executive search firm, and the Southern Conference recently recognized 23 student-athletes as recipients of the fifth annual Coleman Lew Leadership Award at an honors dinner in Hilton Head, S.C.

            "Our firm has a strong educational partnership with the Southern Conference," said Kenneth D. Carrick, Jr., partner-managing director at Coleman Lew & Associates.  "We are proud to present the fifth annual Coleman Lew Leadership Award to these outstanding student-athletes who have excelled in academic performance, athletic skill, community service, and leadership ability."

            The award recognizes student-athletes from each of the Southern Conference's 12 member institutions.  Coaches, faculty athletic representatives, and senior women administrators nominate prospective candidates based on leadership, academic excellence, and athletic achievement in both the college environment and the community.  Representatives from Coleman Lew & Associates conducted one-on-one interviews with the finalists before determining the award winners.

            "Coleman Lew & Associates has been a valued partner for the past five years and these awards are testimony to their commitment to the Southern Conference," said Southern Conference Commissioner John Iamarino.  "The recipients are among the best and brightest student-athletes to be found in a member institution's program."

The 2010 Coleman Lew & Associates Leadership Award recipients are:

Name (Institution)                            Sport                        Academic Major

Darryl Smith
      (Appalachian State)                  Football                      Accounting

Kristina Reese
      (Appalachian State)                  Track & Field               Communications

Branko Gavric
      (College of Charleston)             Soccer                        Biology

Kristi Lyn Woodall
      (College of Charleston)             Softball                       Business Administration

Blaine McAlister
      (The Citadel)                             Volleyball                    Business

Danny Weiss
      (Davidson)                                Baseball                      English

Allison Drutchas
      (Davidson)                                Soccer                         Philosophy

Christopher Shafto
      (Elon)                                        Football                       Business Administration

Amanda Jones
      (Elon)                                        Soccer                         Communications

Richard Furman
      (Furman)                                   Football                       Economics

Shannon Cantwell
      (Furman)                                   Track & Field                Economics

Logan Blondell
      (Georgia Southern)                   Golf                              Finance

Caroline Bevillard
      (Georgia Southern)                   Swimming & Diving      Sports Management

Andrew Clyne
      (UNC Greensboro)                    Cross Country              Accounting

Jennifer Partenheimer
      (UNC Greensboro)                    Soccer                          Kinesiology

Gary Cramer  
      (Samford)                                 Baseball                       Sports Medicine

Hillary Fountain
      (Samford)                                 Volleyball                     Childhood Education

Gordon Davis Rudell
      (Chattanooga)                         Tennis                          Biology

Annie Green
      (Chattanooga)                         Tennis                          Communications

Zachary Michael Jaynes
      (Western Carolina)                   Football                       Business

Emily Clarke
      (Western Carolina)                   Volleyball                     Psychology

Jamar Diggs
      (Wofford)                                  Basketball                   Business Economics

Lauren Cozzarelli
      (Wofford)                                  Soccer                         Accounting and Spanish

        ABOUT THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE

The Southern Conference, in its 89^th season of intercollegiate competition, is a national leader in emphasizing the development of the student-athlete and helping build lifelong leaders and role models.  The conference has been on the forefront of innovation and originality in developing creative solutions to address issues facing intercollegiate athletics. From establishing the first conference basketball tournament (1921), tackling the issues of freshman eligibility (1922), developing women's championships (1984) to becoming the first conference to install the three-point goal in basketball (1980), the Southern Conference has been a pioneer.  The Southern Conference is the nation's fifth-oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association.  The conference currently consists of 12 members in five states throughout the Southeast and sponsors 19 varsity sports and championships that produce participants for NCAA Division I Championships.

Coleman Lew & Associates, Inc., founded in 1979 and headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is a international retained executive search firm that recruits board members, officers, and senior level executives for national and international companies, academic institutions and non-profit organizations. The firm also provides customized leadership development services to organizations seeking to maximize corporate performance. Member, Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC).