Darius Maize, deputy athletic director for internal operations and special projects at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has been selected to attend TopConnect AD 2021, a leadership symposium for aspiring Division I athletic directors sponsored by TEAMWORKS/#INFLCR.

The symposium is hosted by TopConnect, a subsidiary of Connected Media, LLC, and will be held virtually June 24-25. The 2021 program is headlined by Jeremy Foley, athletics director emeritus at the University of Florida.

TopConnect AD is designed for senior level athletics administrators who are committed to taking the next step in their careers. Attendees will benefit from panels with current presidents of Division-I institutions, with NIL professionals Kevin Barefoot from TEAMWORKS/#INFLCR and legal expert Darren Heitner, panels focused on translating moment into action, and the A to Z of Hiring a Head Coach.

Maize was promoted to deputy athletic director in 2019 and has been a member of Little Rock’s Team since 2017. A native of Little Rock and graduate of Hall High School, Maize obtained his bachelor’s degree in athletic training from Baylor University in 2015 and a master’s degree from Arkansas State University in 2018.

TopConnect has revolutionized the connections within the world of collegiate athletics by connecting future leaders with current leaders through an educational forum. Initially launched more than 15 years ago as Villa 7, the TopConnect program has evolved into a valuable resource for coaches, athletics administrators, and other industry leaders.

Since TopConnect’s launch in 2018, 14 attendees have been hired into their dream position as an athletics director, head men’s basketball coach, or head women’s basketball coach. This includes Randale Richmond, director of athletics at Kent State, who will be presenting a session on how to prep for the big interview.

TopConnect is sponsored by TEAMWORKS/#INFLCR and works in conjunction with East Tennessee State University’s doctoral program in global sport leadership.

This story was written by Patrick Walsh.