Dr. Deana Porterfield’s job title is President of Roberts Wesleyan University and her job description includes several roles. Educator, leader and ambassador are three that come immediately to mind, but there is one that is near and dear to Porterfield’s heart.
“I consider myself the head cheerleader for Roberts Wesleyan University,” she says.
It’s a role that she has taken seriously since arriving at Roberts in 2014 after spending 26 years in several leadership roles at her alma mater, Azusa Pacific University.
Porterfield sees the value in athletics as an extension of the university’s foundation of education for character and can often be found sporting “Roberts Red” as she roots on the Redhawks.
“I will start a cheer and I will get the crowd going,” she says.
Her enthusiasm is contagious – and consistent.
“She’s the No.1 cheerleader, straight across,” says Doug Porterfield, Deana’s husband of 32 years and the women’s volleyball coach at Roberts. “There are a lot of Presidents who will show up when a team is winning and leave events early when they are losing. She’s there from the beginning until the end of the game.”
In fact, Porterfield’s first official act as President was to dump water over the head of Executive Director of Athletics Bob Segave as part of the ALS Ice Bucket challenge. Since that time, she has shown her support for athletics by approving the addition of six new varsity sports programs, driving overnight to Indiana to watch the men’s and women’s basketball teams play in the National Christian College Athletic Association championships, following the women’s lacrosse team to the 2021 NCAA Division II Final Four in Salem, Virginia, and throwing pies in Segave’s face at halftime of basketball games to support Golisano Children’s Hospital. If she can’t make a game, she’ll watch the live stream.
“From the day Dr. Porterfield fulfilled her first act by dumping cold water over my head, I knew I had a partner and great supporter,” Segave says. “I always acknowledge this by saying ‘Thank you for playing along.’ We all know that being a President of a University is demanding, but to be able to see our President leading cheers at athletic contests, coming out to put a pie in the face of the Executive Director of Athletics, providing wonderful leadership and wisdom on campus and in the community, across the East Coast Conference, and at the NCAA level tires me out just thinking about it.”
Porterfield’s enthusiasm and dedication is appreciated by the administration, athletes, coaches and staff.
“I include her in my recruiting pitch just because she is so active on campus and at so many of our games,” women’s lacrosse coach Kristin Paolini says. “I tell all of our recruits that ‘You will know the President!’”
“She truly cares about the well-being of the students,” says women’s soccer team captain Justine Sharda, who also serves as President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Vice President of the Student Multicultural Advisory Council.
Sharda says Porterfield knows her by name and waves to her when she sees her around campus.
“It motivates us that we are doing this for a bigger purpose and that it is all a part of the journey,” Sharda says. “She really cares about our seasons and our growth as players and leaders.”
This message is a priority for Porterfield, especially on a campus where nearly one-third of the 900 undergraduates participate in athletics.
“We are about developing students as a whole person and figuring out how they can graduate and be generous and gracious and full-of-character, people that you want to hire, people that have ethical standards and people that you want to have as a neighbor,” Porterfied says. “That’s what this is about. Connecting your head to your heart, and engaging your hands in service to others.”
Early start in athletics
Porterfield earned her first accolade in swimming at the age of five-and-a-half. Competing in a six-and-under relay against five other teams in her native California, her team finished sixth and received a ribbon.
She swam competitively for several years, dabbled in volleyball in junior high school and even joined the tennis and basketball teams during her senior year in high school. She also was an enthusiastic member of the cheerleading squad.
Athletics – and the lessons they help teach – have resonated with her.
“If you are on a team, you definitely learn to work with others,” she says. “In an individual sport, I think it is about motivation, commitment and dedication.”
She and Doug met as undergrads at Azusa Pacific, where they both majored in music. Following her graduation, Deana was hired as an admissions counselor at Azusa where she and Doug would often join the admissions team at athletic events. They even brought their six-month-old daughter with them in a car seat to sit behind the bench and cheer at basketball games.
She has brought that same spirit to Roberts.
“That is why I am so adamant about cheering, because I think that a crowd can move a team in a different direction,” Porterfield said. “We could influence the game. We weren’t obnoxious and we didn’t do mean things to the other team, but we were cheering adamantly for our team. That’s the passion that I have here and that’s why I want the students of our campus to get to the games and cheer. Don’t just start cheering at the end of the game when we are winning, cheer when we are not doing well because we can turn a game. I really believe it.”
Porterfield has also worked with the Athletic Department and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to find ways to engage the student body and improve attendance at sporting events.
“Students go out to the games because they build community with each other and those students that they are living with and they are in class with,” Porterfield said. “But they also build relationships with those on the field or on the court, and there is this sense that I belong, and I am part of it.
“When I go to a game and I am wearing Roberts Red, I am all in. I’m not running on the field, but I have a sense that I am part of the team and that is what the student body feels as well when they go out to a game. We have 20 teams, and that is a very significant number for a school our size and those teams support each other.”
Athletics have remained a part of her life into adulthood. Porterfield completed a sprint triathlon several years ago and has thrown out the first pitch at two Rochester Red Wings games. She and Doug have also attended several Major League Baseball parks while on vacation, with Pittsburgh’s PNC Park ranking at the top of her list of favorites.
Creating new traditions
Several of the Roberts athletic teams have flourished during Porterfield’s tenure. The men’s and women’s cross country teams have won eight consecutive East Coast Conference championships and traveled to the NCAA Division II Fall Championships Festival in Seattle in early December, the women’s bowling team and women’s basketball team each won ECC titles and advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships in 2021, and the women’s lacrosse team reached the NCAA Division II Final Four in 2021.
In early December, the Porterfields traveled to Kissimmee, Florida, to cheer on the men’s and women’s soccer teams in the NCCAA Division I National Championship tournament. The women’s team advanced to the semifinals and the men reached the championship match.
Porterfield, who keeps miniature versions of championship trophies in her office, and Segave, started a tradition of inviting teams who win ECC or other championships to her residence for dessert and a recognition celebration.
“It’s my opportunity, along with the Executive Director of Athletics, to say thank you to the team,” Porterfield says. “Not just for their accomplishments on the field or on the court, but for representing us so well.”
The 2021 women’s lacrosse celebration was extra special because it included a graduation ceremony for the graduating seniors who missed commencement so that they could attend and compete in the Final Four.
“I think it was just so special because it was so personal,” Paolini said. “Our graduating seniors received their diplomas in her back yard in front of their teammates and families and it was an unforgettable night. Schools don’t do that, Presidents don’t do that, but that is the culture that she has established.”
And she is just getting started.
Roberts is the only Division II university in the Rochester region, which makes it attractive to student-athletes across the globe. The recent change to university and the November announcement that women’s field hockey, women’s triathlon, men’s volleyball and electronic sports (eSports) are being added in 2023, will only enhance Roberts’ academic profile and make connections with even more potential students.
Roberts has also hosted several ECC and NCAA Regional championships in recent years, which has helped to shine a spotlight on the university.
“Those events just elevate the institution, they elevate the excitement for the students and they elevate the region,” Porterfield said. “It’s exciting to say that people are coming to Rochester for great athletic competition and it’s happening here on the west side of the city.”
Whatever is happening, you can count on Porterfield being there to cheer on Roberts.
“I hope that I am the No. 1 fan,” she says. “I hope students know and coaches know that I am there to support them, whatever the outcome of the game, whatever happens that I am going to be supporting them. Whether I am physically there or watching online, I want them to know that there is support for what they are doing on the field, in the classroom and as individuals. That’s my hope.”
Provided information and photos
Deana (circled) earned her first athletic accolade in swimming at five years old.
