There’s no denying it. Jessica Peters loves Allen Community College.
Her journey has gone from student-athlete to becoming the college’s first woman athletic director. Peters remains in her head volleyball coaching position, which she has held since June 2007.
“What an opportunity for me. I’ve been the assistant athletic director the past two years working with Randy Weber,” Peters said. “It’s going to be a seamless transition for us, I believe.”
Peters is learning the ins and outs of the top job in ACC athletics. She said as assistant athletic director she was responsible for about 25 percent of the job.
“Here, as in many community colleges, full-time coaches have dual roles whether its teaching, being in admissions, student housing or now for me, athletic director. I made calls to several other head coach/athletic directors. They told me it was about time management and I’ve been doing that since I came back to Allen as an assistant coach,” Peters said.
Peters is looking forward to promoting not just the Red Devil athletic programs but the two-year college as a whole. She and new assistant athletic director Jamie Amerine have a strong working relationship and “some creative ideas,” Peters said.
“Jamie was a great choice as assistant athletic director. We knew she was becoming our next head softball coach and not sure of her other duties at the school,” Peters said.
“Jamie has been here for four years and really knows the college and the community. We’re about having our student-athletes to become more of a presence in the community and bringing the community to the school.”
Peters said she waited until late in the process to put her name in for the position. “I had been looking at working on a master’s degree but decided this was an opportunity I needed to go for and pleased to have the support of the administration.”
Peters began as a student-athlete at ACC, playing on the Red Devil volleyball team 2002-2004. She was a middle hitter and graduated with a associates degree of science.
Peters, who is from Blue Springs, Mo., went on to play two more years of volleyball at Avila University in Kansas City, Mo. She earned a bachelors of science in business administration from Avila in 2006.
She returned to Allen as an assistant volleyball coach and admissions counselor in 2006. One year later she became the ACC head volleyball coach.
In her five first years as head volleyball coach, the Red Devils have amassed an 88-113 overall record. In 2009, the Red Devils were 21-18, the first winning season for the ACC volleyball team since 2002 when Peters was a freshman player.
“I’ve seen a growth in myself as a person and a coach since coming to Allen. I’ve learned 50 percent of my current job — being a head volleyball coach — so I’m confident in my ability to help lead the Allen athletic department,” Peters said.
“Here at Allen we have a good coaching staff. Each coach knows how to manage their individual sport. We’ve never had an athletic director or administrator who told us this is how it is with our sports.
