November 18, 2022 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
Exercise science associate professor Toni Torres-McGehee has added another leadership role to her work. The director of athletic training programs and associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has been chosen to lead the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education‘s (CAATE) Board of Commissioners as president-elect and then president. She is the first person of color to hold these positions.
I look forward to continuing to create opportunities for programs to be innovative, continue to facilitate quality assurance and improvement, and enhance diversity, equity, inclusivity and accessibility within athletic training education.
-Toni Torres-McGehee, director of athletic training programs and associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion
"I am committed to continuing the work around accreditation with the CAATE’s strong leadership team and staff and advocacy for the athletic training progression with our stakeholders and strategic alliance partners,” she says about her election, which she calls a privilege and an honor. “I look forward to continuing to create opportunities for programs to be innovative, continue to facilitate quality assurance and improvement, and enhance diversity, equity, inclusivity and accessibility within athletic training education."
Torres-McGehee has volunteered her time and talents with the CAATE for nearly a decade. She began with dual roles as an accreditation site visitor and a peer review team member in 2013.
“I have always valued athletic training education, quality assurance and quality improvement for both professional and post-professional athletic training education programs,” she says. “Being a peer reviewer and committee member allowed me to give back to the athletic training education community.”
I believe representation in leadership matters. It’s empowering and important for students and young professionals to have other leaders of color to look up to.
-Toni Torres-McGehee, director of athletic training programs and associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion
Over the years, her responsibilities grew and by 2020, she was serving on the CAATE’s Board of Commissioners. Around this time, she drew on her experiences as associate dean for DEI at the Arnold School to lead the CAATE’s DEI & Leadership Development Committee as chair. This work has involved developing DEI standards and creating a new recruitment and selection processes for commissioners and volunteers.
“I have had the opportunity to work side by side with like-minded athletic training professionals who are all passionate about diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility,” says Torres-McGehee, who recognizes the significance of being the first person of color to be elected as president-elect/president. “I believe representation in leadership matters. It’s empowering and important for students and young professionals to have other leaders of color to look up to.”
As the first person in her Mexican American family to graduate from college, Torres-McGehee earned her undergraduate degree from Southern Utah University with support from an athletic scholarship. She then completed a master’s in sports health/preventive rehabilitation at Texas Tech University and gained professional experience as an athletic trainer before enrolling in a Ph.D. in Exercise Science program at the University of Alabama.
After her 2006 graduation, Torres-McGehee joined the Arnold School’s Department of Exercise Science and has been here ever since. She is proud of her journey and is dedicated to helping others overcome barriers to achieve their goals.
“I strive to give back and live the mindset of paying it forward to those in need,” says Torres-McGehee. “Throughout my career as an athletic trainer, I ‘pay it forward’ through mentorship, development of health care services to communities in need and most importantly advocacy through DEI efforts throughout my university, the communities we serve and my service to the athletic training profession.”
Related:
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: TONI TORRES-MCGEHEE, PHD, SCAT, ATC
Toni Torres-McGehee receives Academic Leadership Development Program Alumni Fellowship from the SEC
Toni Torres-McGehee named Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion