CHICAGO -- Lexi Brown, a former gymnast at UIC and current Academic Advisor, has been selected to attend the NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar this week at the organization's national headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind. Brown is one of 222 up-and-coming leaders who has been chosen to attend the conference.

After competing for the Flames as a gymnast and all-around specialist from 2011-13, Brown took the first steps toward a professional career in athletic administration at UIC. She began serving as a student employee in Academic Services in August 2013 before fulfilling an internship from spring 2014 through summer 2015. During that period Brown gained valuable experience in several areas of operation including finance, compliance, tickets and marketing.

In August 2015, Brown began her current role as a graduate assistant in the Port Academic Center at UIC. Her primary responsibilities include advisement of the women's and men's gymnastics team, coordination of the annual UIC Athletics Blood Drive, liaison for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and oversight of Academic Services' social media accounts.The LaGrange, Ill., native balances all that while pursuing a master's degree in social work, which she expects to complete in May.

"I am very excited for the opportunity to attend the Emerging Leaders Seminar," said Brown. "I feel very passionate about athletics and leadership so I cannot imagine a better combination of the two. Athletics has not only helped shape the woman I am today, but it provided me with skills and opportunities I would not have had otherwise.

"The administrators at UIC have had an extremely positive impact on me," Brown added. "I am enthusiastic about putting myself in a position to have this same impact on student-athletes of the future, and the Emerging Leaders Seminar is a great step in that direction."

"I can't think of a better candidate for an NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar than Lexi Brown," said UIC Senior Associate Athletic Director Denny Wills. "She has been invaluable to me as a grad assistant and has a bright future in college athletic administration."

The Emerging Leaders Seminar provides educational and transitional programming for NCAA graduate assistants and interns who have shown a profound interest in pursuing a career in college sports. After attending, Brown will bring back to UIC industry knowledge, leadership awareness and a broadened perspective of intercollegiate athletics. Participants gain valuable insight that helps them structure the next steps for their careers. 
 
"The Emerging Leaders Seminar is a wonderful opportunity for young professionals working in athletics to come to the national office, form a network of like-minded peers and develop knowledge of the college sports industry at all levels," said Bernard Franklin, NCAA executive vice president of education and community engagement and chief inclusion officer.  
 
Over the nine years of the program's existence, the Emerging Leaders Seminar has welcomed more than 1,000 athletics professionals to the NCAA national office for this engaging education and networking opportunity.