Dr. Susan Beers, Jeanne Calamar help pave the way for Title IX

See all of the 2022-23 Title IX honorees

Coming up in a male-dominated profession during the era of Title IX’s passage provided both challenges and opportunities for Jeanne Calamar and Dr. Susan Beers. Access to sports lead to competitive participation, coaching and athletic administrative careers for both, paving the way for each of their careers to positively impacting the lives of student-athletes, coaches, and peers within the CCCAA membership.

The association has greatly benefited from their years of service, and we now share some of those stories for the month of January.

Dr. Susan Beers, Dean of Physical Education & Athletic Director, Head Coach
A former collegiate swimmer, Dr. Susan Beers shared that, “Participation in sports cemented my work ethic, discipline, resilience, perseverance, (and) really all the values which guided me both professionally and personally.” Access to competitive sport by away of Title IX led Dr. Beers to a career in teaching and coaching women’s aquatics.

She then embarked on her athletic administrative career as the Women’s Athletics Director and Departmental Chair at Fullerton College before serving as the Dean of Physical Education and Athletic Director for a total of 34 years of service at the college. 

Dr. Beers was compelled by the passage of Title IX to write her doctoral dissertation on the impact the law had, specifically on California Community Colleges. “As an athletic administrator, I was able to create opportunities for women to compete. For example, during my tenure at Fullerton College (we) added the following sports: badminton, golf, soccer and water polo.”

There is still work to be done, including “increased competition opportunities and improved compensation for women at the professional level. This would eliminate the need to travel to other countries to receive additional compensation because the current rate of pay domestically is not up to par.”

As it relates to collegiate sports, Dr. Beers suggests the possibility of, “eliminating fundraising requirements for coaches and student-athletes. Fundraising creates undue pressure and takes time and focus away from training and competing.”

Dr. Beers has witnessed a great deal of positive change due in part to Title IX such as increased competitive opportunities, but she is looking forward to that expanding even more over the next 50 years. 

Jeanne Calamar, Assistant Athletic Director, Head Coach, Student-Athlete
A service leader in every sense of the word, Jeanne Calamar has served the CCCAA in many capacities, including as a student-athlete at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC), and as a head coach and administrator at Cosumnes River College for the past 29 years.

Jeanne reflected on the people who impacted her athletics journey, “My sister always took me to my games and supported me, my dad always telling me I could be anything I wanted to be and not to let people hold me back or tell me I couldn’t do something because I was a female, and my basketball coach at SBCC who believed I was a better player than I did,” she said. “I’ve been going through a pretty hard time lately and helped me realize that it was being an athlete that helped teach me to be resilient and persevere through tough times.”

The passage of Title IX and the support Jeanne received from her family and coaches made athletics a way of life. “Without Title IX, I’m not sure that coaching would have been a way to make a living as a female. My ascent to the Assistant AD position was mainly due to the fact I had played a lot of sports and had a wide array of knowledge of athletics. The Dean of Athletics at the time told me, ‘I’m assigning you to the position.’ “

In turn Jeanne has now leveraged her positions to mentor others and advocate for female student-athletes on her campus, the conference and at the state level with her participation on the Management Council, countless committees, and the Athletic Directors Association (CCCADA).

There is work still to be done, she said. “Even at the higher levels, it is not what it should be. For a while the number of women coaches and administrators grew but then decreased.”

She shared her thoughts on changing this trend. “Get involved! Stay involved! And help mentor other women, especially young women who are just finishing their collegiate athletic playing careers, to move into coaching and administration. Don’t be afraid to put in the hard work especially if you see a need. If it weren’t for the coaches and administrators (both male and female) in the past who did what they did, fought for what they believed in, and helped get Title IX passed, we may not have the opportunities that we have today. Pay that forward for the next generation of student-athletes, coaches, administrators.”