Keri Potts spoke to a packed room in the Louis Shores building on Wednesday, September 18th. In the fifty two minutes she spoke, she captivated her audience with advice on the professional world, championing personal passions and the ever-elusive work life balance. Keri is the Senior Director of Communications at ESPN, a position that was reached through hard work and daring career choices. She challenged the audience continually: “You’re the captain of your career, you have to take charge.”

Potts has been in her position as Senior Director of Communications since April 2013, after taking on the unit in 2010 as Director. While Keri doesn’t have TV time, she is responsible for coordinating and guiding the strategic communications surrounding all college sport events and studio content. This includes the new SEC Network, college football, College Football Playoff, men & women’s basketball, NCAA Championships including the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, ESPNU, Longhorn Network, and many more. She’s a busy, busy lady.

Associate Dean Ebe Randeree invited Ms. Potts to speak at FSU. “It was beneficial to our students in IT, ICT, Media, Communication & PR to hear Ms. Potts,” said Randeree. “Her advice was on point: control your destiny, be hungry and humble, build your skills, make connections with peers and industry leaders, and mostly importantly, build relationships.”

The road to success with ESPN started in 2003, when Potts joined ESPN in Bristol as a senior publicist, working on the NFL, NBA and ESPN Original Entertainment. Her climb up the ladder has been a labor of love, Potts says she loves ESPN as much as they love her. While not everyone is as fortunate, a good attitude and passion can make a world of difference. “You’re always going to have a boss you don’t like,” she said. “If you’re passionate about what you do – it makes it all worth it.”

Though she is a “behind the scenes” woman in her work, Potts managed to inspire, bring tears, and terrify her audience. “I scrolled through some of your Twitter feeds,” she warned. “If you can’t handle your own brand, why would anyone pay you to do it for them?” She challenged the audience to prepare heavily for their job interviews, while stressing the importance of living a rich life outside of work. “If all I did in my life was be a PR woman for ESPN, it would be an epic failure.”

For more wisdom from a woman dominating the PR world, follow her on Twitter @MsPottsESPN