DENVER - The University of Denver Athletic Department hosted Next Up on Wednesday afternoon, an event focused on how to lead teams to their greatest potential.

The event was headlined by a panel featuring Women's Basketball Head Coach Doshia Woods and Head Women's Lacrosse Coach Liza Kelly alongside Talia Monroe (VP, GM at Frito Lay), Haley Roberto (Global Strategic Account Director at LinkedIn) and Jenn Payton (Senior Director of Human Resources at Comcast). The panel discussed their individual experiences leading teams and what it takes to be successful as both a leader and a part of a team. 

"I had an amazing time representing DU athletics on the Next Up panel," Woods said. "It was an opportunity to highlight the overlap between the sports and business worlds. To host an event like this at DU gives us an opportunity to spotlight our athletic programs and leadership styles and the correlation with the business world."

"It was an honor to sit on the panel with such incredibly accomplished women, Kelly said. "I could have sat there all night listening to their experiences and advice.  This program is so rewarding and educational. I hope to get more of our players involved in the future."

By inviting both successful coaches and businesswomen to be on the panel, Next Up and DU found the overlap between the world of sports and business and the ways in which both worlds utilize similar methodology to be successful.

"I think the common denominator for all of this is that everyone is an athlete," Lynn Coutts, Deputy Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Excellence and Senior Women Administrator said. "You can be an athlete. It doesn't mean you have to play a sport, but if you have like they talked about the grit, determination, dedication, hard work, all of those things that we do every day, it all comes together. I think we saw that alignment with all of our panelists speaking on the importance of teamwork."

Next Up is a nonprofit organization focused on advancing women, growing business and transforming through the power of community. Their purpose is to give women the tools and community to make a substantial impact on their companies' success and reach their career goals. In hosting the event, DU not only supported women but brought men into the conversation, and acknowledged differences and how they can support each other. 

"I think the tough part is when it's women empowerment, is men are thinking, should I be there? I think we actively have to recruit men to come to these kind of events. I think its important to intentionally do things for women, but make sure that we invite the men as well," Coutts said.

"There's a separation but, there's two sides, right? There's men and women. We need each other to grow."