Forward Progress Athletics Consulting is proud to celebrate seven years of successfully serving its clients.
In 2013, President and Co-Founder John Shukie saw a need for institutions in the area of Academic Progress Rate. As Director of Academic and Membership Affairs at the NCAA, John witnessed first-hand the significant negative impact that lack of expertise and support in this area could have on Division I institutions. With its first client, Florida International University, Forward Progress created a new niche industry, assisting athletic departments with NCAA academic policy.
One year later, former NCAA Director Kelly Brooks joined the Forward Progress team. During the first few years, the company’s main focus was assisting schools that were dangerously near to, or inside of, the APR penalty process. In addition, Forward Progress staff assisted schools that were required to recertify the eligibility of student-athletes.
In 2016, Forward Progress’ offerings grew and diversified when Co-Founder Maricela Shukie spearheaded the creation of the company’s Leadership Development programming. Her experience in Student-Athlete Development at the NCAA helped the company expand the value it can bring to its clients. As of 2020, Forward Progress has facilitated leadership summits for over 4000 student-athletes, coaches and staff across 18 states, all three NCAA divisions, and Olympic athletes at USA Swimming.
Along the way, Forward Progress has been blessed to celebrate many business milestones. In 2017, the company was awarded an NCAA Division II Foundations for the Future Grant, as it analyzed the collection of over a decade of academic data within the division. With the inception of Academic Revenue Distribution, the business continued to flourish.
In 2017 and 2018, conference-wide agreements were signed with the Horizon League, the Northeast Conference, and the ASUN. This led to the hiring of Lindsey Hicks as the Senior Academics Consultant in 2018. Today, Forward Progress boasts 5 Academics consultants and 10 Leadership facilitators. As the company turns seven, it has supported over 150 institutions in their mission to grow and graduate their student-athletes.
On occasion of the seven-year anniversary, John Shukie stated:
“At Forward Progress, we have strived to provide quality service to a diverse set of clients over the last seven years. By establishing collaborative relationships with these clients, we have been able to grow in ways I didn’t think were possible when we started in 2013. Thank you to all of the clients who have made it possible!”
