{"id":60367,"date":"2024-08-05T07:47:22","date_gmt":"2024-08-05T11:47:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=60367"},"modified":"2024-08-09T22:27:29","modified_gmt":"2024-08-10T02:27:29","slug":"a-champions-resolve-how-kim-wingates-athletic-spirit-fuels-her-educational-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/08\/a-champions-resolve-how-kim-wingates-athletic-spirit-fuels-her-educational-vision\/","title":{"rendered":"A champion\u2019s resolve: How Kim Wingate\u2019s athletic spirit fuels her educational vision"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"School

School of Education Director Kim Wingate stands in her Hunter Hall office. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

Teamwork. Dedication. Perseverance.<\/p>\n

These are the words that Dr. Kim Wingate uses to describe her collegiate student-athlete experience.<\/p>\n

Wingate\u2019s journey from star softball player to director of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\u2019s School of Education is a testament to her unwavering resilience, adaptability and commitment to students and colleagues. She has not only faced personal and professional challenges head-on but has also inspired those around her to do the same.<\/p>\n

Her story showcases the competitive spirit that drives her in her new role.<\/p>\n

Growing up in Catoosa County, Georgia, Wingate\u2019s early life was defined by a love for sports and learning. In a household where education and athletics were equally valued, she knew from a young age that she wanted to be both a teacher and an athlete.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom (Brenda) was a 34-year teacher in Catoosa County (Georgia), and my dad (Cecil) was a state trooper who always emphasized the importance of education,\u201d said Wingate, who was named director of the School of Education in late March. \u201cWhen I played softball in high school and from Little League on, I knew I wanted to play softball in college. If God opened that door, that\u2019s what I wanted to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had the good fortune to get to play, but I also was very driven and determined to become a teacher. Thanks to athletics \u2026 teamwork, determination and goal setting have shaped me into who I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n

This dual focus on academics and sports set the stage for her future endeavors.<\/p>\n

As an all-state shortstop in high school, Wingate led the Ringgold Tigers to a Georgia slow pitch softball championship in 1993. Her talent didn\u2019t go unnoticed, and she soon transitioned to fastpitch at Chattanooga State Community College, playing for Frank Reed\u2014now the softball coach at UTC.<\/p>\n

\u201cI met her right out of high school, and I was trying to find players,\u201d Reed said. \u201cNorth Georgia had a whole lot of high school softball players who played on slow pitch teams. I could go down there and get those players pretty easily because fastpitch teams weren\u2019t knocking on their door. At the same time, I could be selective; in slow pitch, you could find great defensive players.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Kim\u2019s case, she was a shortstop, and that\u2019s usually one of your best athletes. You could put a shortstop anywhere\u2014and I asked her to catch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wingate laughed as she talked about the conversion to catcher.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlaying catcher improved my hitting drastically because I learned the different pitchers and the different pitches,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

At ChattState, Wingate\u2014who was inducted into that school\u2019s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013\u2014earned All-American honors in 1995 and was named the Tennessee Community College Player of the Year.<\/p>\n

Reed lauded her ability not only to switch positions in \u201cthe midstream in her career\u201d but also to capitalize on her educational interests.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my favorite questions to ask young student-athletes is, \u2018Where do you see yourself in five years? What\u2019s your five-year plan?\u2019 You\u2019d be surprised at the people that don\u2019t have a plan,\u201d he said. \u201cBut that was never the case for Kim. She always knew what she wanted to do. She\u2019s a person that you cannot outwork.\u201d<\/p>\n

After earning an associate degree in early childhood education from ChattState, Wingate continued her education and softball career at Kennesaw (Georgia) State University\u2014playing a pivotal role in the team\u2019s NCAA Division II national title win in 1996 and earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in early childhood education.<\/p>\n

But it wasn\u2019t always easy. Transferring from ChattState to Kennesaw State initially left her as an outsider on her new team. And after being a starter at ChattState, she had to fight for playing time at Kennesaw State. \u201cThat was an obstacle for me, having to get used to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working through those challenges taught her to balance athletics and her education. You need to be successful on the field, she said, but you need to be successful in the classroom, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned that you have to balance your workload; you were a student first and an athlete second,\u201d she recalled. \u201cBut being an athlete kept me going. It pushed me. The perseverance and the work ethic were continuous.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe camaraderie that you form \u2026 that\u2019s what I think I bring to the School of Education. The teamwork and setting people up for success is definitely what I learned through athletics.\u201d<\/p>\n

She admits school didn\u2019t always come easy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not necessarily something I\u2019m proud of, but I had test anxiety. It was a very big challenge for me at times,\u201d Wingate said. \u201cBut if there is a roadblock, you have to try to overcome it. You can\u2019t quit. You can\u2019t shut it down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kim

Kim Wingate played softball collegiately at Chattanooga State (blue and orange uniform) and Kennesaw State. In the ChattState team photo, she is in the bottom row, second from left (photos courtesy of Kim Wingate).<\/p><\/div>\n

Following her playing days, Wingate returned to Catoosa County to teach middle school and coach softball.<\/p>\n

After obtaining master\u2019s and Education Specialist degrees from Lincoln Memorial University, her passion for early childhood special education eventually led her to pursue a doctoral degree from Tennessee Technological University.<\/p>\n

It was during that time that she was encouraged by the late Dr. Dean Richey, interim dean of Tennessee Tech\u2019s College of Education, to teach a graduate course.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was like, \u2018I don\u2019t teach adults,\u201d Wingate recalled. \u201cBut he asked again, \u2018Why don\u2019t you try it?\u2019 So I taught one course and it went great.\u201d<\/p>\n

The experience, she said, was pivotal in leading her to a career in higher education.<\/p>\n

After spending two years on the Middle Tennessee State University faculty, Wingate was brought to UTC in 2007 by Dr. Valerie Rutledge, then the director of the School of Education and\u2014since 2013\u2014the dean of the College of Health, Education and Professional Studies.<\/p>\n

Among Wingate\u2019s many endeavors, she ran the UTC Governor\u2019s School for Prospective Teachers for 16 years and oversaw the identification of Butterfield Fellows candidates\u2014a program that supports teachers in Hamilton County Schools with classroom management techniques.<\/p>\n

Her leadership at UTC has been marked by innovative initiatives, including her efforts in the Grow Your Own program. Her focus on adapting to the changing landscape of education is evident in her approach to course delivery, emphasizing both traditional and hybrid online formats to meet the needs of nontraditional students.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe profession of teaching has changed,\u201d Wingate said, \u201cso addressing that change and how we partner with and support Hamilton County Schools and our surrounding counties is so critical.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one of our major goals: How do we meet these new challenges of providing teachers in somewhat of a teacher shortage? We have wonderful support in Chattanooga, but how do we partner?\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Allen Pratt is the School of Education\u2019s director of strategic partnerships and executive director of the National Rural Education Association.<\/p>\n

\u201cKim was the perfect person to take over the School of Education as director,\u201d Pratt said. \u201cShe has the ability to relate really well with our faculty and our staff. She\u2019s been here 17 years, so she knows how the University works\u2014but she\u2019s also smart enough to know that things need to be adjusted. Sometimes, change and innovative approaches need to bring you in, and she\u2019s been very open-minded to change.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s very much into being connected, especially with the community and Hamilton County Schools. Her kids are in the school system, so she has that connection. She has the want to change and help and lead because it is personal to her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

The Wingates, from left: Joe, Will, Luke, Livi and Kim (photo courtesy of Kim Wingate)<\/p><\/div>\n

Wingate\u2019s philosophy is evident in her approach to teamwork and support.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to put in the time when no one\u2019s watching,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

This personal mantra has not only guided her career but also helped her navigate personal challenges\u2014including her battle with cancer.<\/p>\n

In July 2020, Wingate\u2019s life took an unexpected turn when she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The diagnosis was a shock, but her determination to maintain normalcy for her three children\u2014Luke, now 14, and twins Livi and Will, now 12\u2014and continue her work at UTC never wavered.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very hard being sick during COVID because no one could go with me to the hospital,\u201d she recalled. \u201cAt the time, my twins were eight and Luke was nine, so I was just trying to keep a normal life for them. COVID was already rocking everybody\u2019s world.\u201d<\/p>\n

The support from her family, particularly her husband, Joe\u2014who also has a background in teaching and coaching\u2014was crucial. \u201cHe\u2019s always been very supportive of me and all the things I have done and wanted to do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Since \u201ceverybody was pretty much working from home back then,\u201d Wingate insisted on working, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI needed to,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt kept me in somewhat of a normal routine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wingate said her doctor released her \u201cto come back to campus and be around people\u201d in 2022.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I\u2019d been through challenges in my life, but that was definitely a challenge; I really had to lean in on my faith even more than I already should have been doing,\u201d she said. \u201cBut the Lord blessed me in so many ways. My family, my husband and my mom were so supportive. The UTC community was so supportive of helping me get through that time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reflecting on Wingate\u2019s journey, Rutledge sees a clear connection between her experiences as a student-athlete and her professional achievements.<\/p>\n

\u201cKim\u2019s a great example for our students of you just don\u2019t stop when some obstacle presents itself,\u201d Rutledge said. \u201cShe\u2019s a perfect example of perseverance, of somebody who said, \u2018This is what I want to do and I\u2019m going to work hard to get it.\u2019 She and her husband are both now holders of doctorate degrees, and their three kids are following in their footsteps in terms of athletics\u2014but also they\u2019re good students.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think everybody has another aspect to their life that\u2019s not just the academic role they play. It\u2019s all these other things that make them who they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Wingate said, \u201cWhen I meet students who are struggling, I say, \u2018Hey, let me share something with you,\u2019 and then I tell them my story. The perseverance, the work ethic, never giving up when you\u2019re tired \u2026 those things have helped me through all of my obstacles and challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn More<\/h4>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC School of Education<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Dr.

Dr. Kim Wingate has been a member of the UTC faculty since 2007.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Kim Wingate\u2019s journey from star softball player to director of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\u2019s School of Education is a testament to her unwavering resilience, adaptability and commitment to students and colleagues. She has not only faced personal and professional challenges head-on but has also inspired those around her to do the same.<\/p>\n

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