Bethanis Bettering Oxy Athletics

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Oct. 24, 2008) –Dr. Susan J. Bethanis ‘82 became a Tiger in 1978 and played both volleyball and basketball for Occidental College before working in collegiate athletics and eventually becoming an accomplished CEO. She has grown a successful company, Mariposa Leadership Inc., in San Francisco, and she still remains connected and involved in Oxy athletics today.

The impression that Bethanis left at Occidental is not only remembered by the banner hanging from the rafters in Alumni Gym for her days playing on the volleyball court, but extends to her dedication to the department since she has graduated.

The Burbank, Calif. native has shown her commitment to the student-athletes at Occidental in a variety of ways. After serving on the Tiger Club Board and playing an integral role in the department by backing the Occidental Annual Women in Sports Dinner for the past two years, she has recently raised her pledge to the cause of promoting women’s sports.  Bethanis recently became the first donor to the newly created Women's Sports Fund (Under Tiger Club) as a means to promote women’s athletics.

"Far before my arrival at Occidental, Sue had been a standout athletics alumnus and supporter.” Director of Athletics Jaime Hoffman shared. “Before transitioning into a successful businesswoman, Sue served as the Colorado College Assistant Director of Athletics, so in addition to her financial contributions, Sue has personally given me valuable advice and direction.”

By contributing to the Women’s Sports Fund, Bethanis wants to kick-start more donations to women’s athletics. “Occidental is a great place and I feel strongly about supporting the student-athletes who compete for the college. It is important to know that Oxy is behind this movement and has made a commitment to both athletics in general and women’s athletics in particular.”

One of the most recent changes that Hoffman has made with regards to the women’s athletic programs at Oxy was adding a full time women’s volleyball coaching position.

Bethanis adds: “I am delighted that the school has supported Jaime’s quest for hiring more full time coaches. To build a successful program, recruiting is key as the world of Division III athletics has become increasingly more competitive; coaches being involved recruiting on an every-day basis is essential.”

With the history of winning programs at Occidental, Bethanis hopes that success will become infectious with other teams on campus. One of the most important ways to do that is to support the department and the programs that Oxy offers to allow the current student-athletes opportunities for success that alums like Bethanis experienced.

While Bethanis was at Occidental the six teams she was a part of (four volleyball and two basketball) won six SCIAC championships. The teams she played on were favored to win, which brought both confidence as well as a lot of pressure and intensity. What she learned on the court during those six seasons are things that she has taken with her in everything she has done.

“When we stepped out on the court we felt like we were going to win, which is a great feeling,” Bethanis said. “The confidence that was instilled in me as a student-athlete has helped me earn the success that I have experienced throughout my career. Winning is always more fun than losing, but what I learned at Oxy was about winning with grace.  Being humble and working as a team is as important as winning.”

Long time Occidental coach and administrator Ruth Berkey paved a path for many women interested in working in the world of athletics. For Bethanis, she had an opportunity to see that first hand having played volleyball under the head coach/AD for three seasons.

In 1981 Berkey was chosen to lead the pioneer effort of the NCAA to fund Championships for women’s athletic programs across the nation, at all levels. Berkey played a role that was certainly well before her time, representing the NCAA after serving as a Division III administrator at Occidental for over a decade.

Ironically enough the following fall, 1981, Bethanis’ senior season in which she received First Team All-SCIAC honors, the Tigers advanced to that very first Volleyball Championship in Maryville, TN.  They finished in third place under the steady tutelage of Lesley Alward, a 1974 Oxy grad.

After earning her Master’s Degree in Education from Stanford the year after she graduated from Oxy, Bethanis then became involved in athletics at the collegiate level.  She spent 10 years coaching volleyball, and during her five years at Colorado College, her teams made every Top-10 poll and qualified for the Division III playoffs every year. At CC, she also served as the Assistant Director of Athletics, in charge of women’s sports and club sports.  She concluded her athletics career in 1993 with a three-year head volleyball coaching stint at the Division I University of San Francisco.

From there she chose to pursue what is now her current career as an executive coach. Mariposa Leadership Inc. supports well-known companies like Yahoo, eBay and Apple on leadership development.

Bethanis currently resides in San Francisco with her two-and-a-half year old son, Max. She loves to travel, and most recently was thrilled to attend the Beijing Olympics. She continues to be a big Oxy sports fan, and also follows the San Francisco Giants and 49ers. 

With donors like Bethanis and a dedicated staff in the Oxy athletic department, the Tigers are joining forces to make great strides for the young people who don the black and orange today and those who will represent Oxy in the future.

“My experience as a student-athlete at Occidental was very rewarding. It is extremely important to me to be able to give back to the department that taught me so much and help the future of athletics on campus.”