James Hicks | On 18, Feb 2011

In the journey of life – you’ll run into a handful of folks, that may not be directly related to you by family relation – that leave a lasting, positive impact on your life.

In my case, that is a relatively short list, but the folks on that list are incredibly focused, determined, and passionate about helping others succeed. At this time, I’d like to make special recognition of one of those individuals.

This month’s INFOtainment News Personality Profile is: Bill Herenda

The Man

By profession, currently Bill is the Executive Director for the Positive Coaching Alliance in Sacramento, California.

Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) is a non-profit organization that  was founded within the Stanford University Athletic Department in 1998, by Jim Thompson. The PCA has one primary mission, “…transforming youth sports so sports can transform youth.”

Now, that’s a powerful 8 word statement. That mission statement also carries a lot of responsibility and a great deal of influence into the quality of coaching that many of our young athletes are receiving as they learn about sportsmanship at early, impressionable ages.

As a matter of fact, when Bill took the Executive Director position, Thompson made the following statement, “We’re delighted to have Bill join the PCA team, he has a unique combination of experience and energy that will amplify the momentum that PCA has already generated in Sacramento. Bill will help us advance our mission of ‘transforming youth sports so sports can transform youth’ throughout the region.”

What about that “experience” that Thompson mentioned?

Those that know college hoops would appreciate this. Bill was a key member of the 1988 University of Massachusetts Lowell NCAA Division II National Championship Basketball Team, which has subsequently been inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame and the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Bill is a three-year letterman at St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, NJ where he played under legendary coach, Jerry Halligan.

When Bill is not out spreading the good word and participating in the various PCA functions, you can catch him on the TV and radio, as he serves as color analyst on the UC Davis radio network, Comcast SportsNet and various Northern California sports talk radio stations.

I had the distinct pleasure of working with Bill for a while when he stepped into the technology sales world. We worked on identifying, meeting, and analyzing client needs within the managed server and cloud computing space. Every time we got on the phone with a prospect Bill would be on fire! 150% focused and passionate about addressing that clients needs. It was quite refreshing to be around someone with such a positive outlook and who understood the meaning of a true work/life balance.

You can also find Bill on the social interweb on Twitter | Facebook | PCA website | Linkedin

Positive Coaching Alliance – Background

Positive Coaching Alliance delivers roughly 50 workshops per year for youth sports organizations and high school sports programs within the greater Sacramento area.

Those interested in donating to PCA and/or bringing PCA training to their communities should contact Bill directly at 916.761.6305 or Bill_Herenda@positivecoach.org.

On a yearly basis, PCA conducts roughly 1,300 live, group workshops across the U.S., while assisting thousands of other individuals via online workshops at www.PositiveCoach.org.

PCA workshops train coaches to be Double-Goal Coaches, whose first goal is winning and whose second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports. PCA sports parent workshops cultivate “Second-Goal Parents,” who focus on life lessons through sports. PCA student-athlete workshops produce “Triple-Impact Competitors,” who work to improve themselves, their teammates, and their sport as a whole.

PCA has the support of elite coaches and athletes on a National Advisory Board, including National Spokesperson, Los Angeles Lakers Coach Phil Jackson.

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