Podcast Episode 008

Welcome to The Right Way to Play Podcast. No hype, no fluff—just real conversations about character-driven competition and the future of college sports. Let’s go.

Live from Kansas City, it’s the 2026 NAIA National Convention. In today’s episode, we’ve got the full perspective from across membership. We’ve got leaders at every level. We’ve got Karl Einolf, president of Indiana Tech. We’ve got Kiki Baker-Barnes, commissioner of the HBCU Athletic Conference. And we’ve got Lincoln Thomae. Three roles, one shared direction. Let’s talk about The Right Way Forward.

Let’s talk about the NAIA. Let’s do it. I’m so excited.

Joining us now, Dr. Karl Einolf, president of Indiana Tech and chair of the NAIA Council of Presidents. Thank you for joining us and taking the time.

My pleasure. Absolutely great to be here.

You’re in a unique perspective as helping to lead a campus into the future, but also the NAIA as a whole. So from your perspective, both as a president and the Council of Presidents chair, what does The Right Way Forward mean to you?

Well, The Right Way Forward, I think if we just break it down, it’s all about being student-centered and student-focused and education-based. I mean, that’s really where it is. When we think about athletics at Indiana Tech, what we’re doing and what we’re thinking about is how we transform students’ lives and how we prepare them for careers. The experience they get as an athlete on our campus teaches them about teamwork, communication, and leadership—but it’s just one piece of the overall student experience.

What we want to make sure we do is prepare students for lives of significance and worth. That’s part of our mission statement. It starts with academics, and we want to make sure that we are graduating our students and providing them with the support they need to be successful—not only while they’re on our campus, but in their lives and careers as well.

Athletics is a draw. Students pick Indiana Tech because we have a certain sport, we have the academic program they’re interested in. What’s exciting for me and the path forward is that the NAIA is a great way that students can experience athletics—not only at Indiana Tech, but also within our conference and nationally as well.

So this focus on students and their experience is really what the NAIA is about.

I love that. I got goosebumps thinking about that answer. What a start we’re off to.

So if you had to describe the future of the NAIA in three words—this is kind of that fast five, but take your time—what would you pick?

Well, “student-centered” is the first. I know that’s a hyphenated word, so I hope that’s okay. As I said before, it’s all about the student and making sure we provide them with the support they need to be successful.

The other thing I think about with being student-centered is that learning is hard—it should be hard. We need to be rigorous. Athletics can be hard too. Our student-athletes need to train and work hard to be good at their sport. But the rest of it doesn’t need to be. We need to break down barriers and challenges so we can allow them to be successful. That student-centered approach allows that to happen.

The second word is “thriving.” The NAIA is going to be thriving long into the future. There’s a lot of noise happening now in higher education—the demographic cliff and NCAA issues—but the NAIA is going to rise above all of that and help support member institutions to be successful long-term.

The third word is “competitive.” The NAIA is competitive. We provide incredible opportunities for our student-athletes in the competition space, and that’s really valuable.

Competitive not only in opportunity, but also as an association alongside the NCAA. As a university president, I obviously want more students to come to Indiana Tech, but I also want students to come to other NAIA schools so we can foster competition. We have a competitive experience to offer students.

Those are the three things that stand out in terms of what sets the NAIA apart.

I appreciate that—super thoughtful.

Carl, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Absolutely. This is great—and I’m a fan of your podcast, so I’m excited to be here.

Joining us now is Dr. Kiki Baker-Barnes, a woman who truly needs no introduction. She’s been a coach, an AD, and is now the commissioner of the HBCU Athletic Conference, helping lead one of the fastest-growing conferences in the NAIA.

Kiki, thank you so much for joining us.

I am so happy to be here today. I feel special—really special.

Kiki, you’ve been all over our association and a leader for years. Let’s talk about conferences. How do conferences strengthen the NAIA moving forward?

Brand awareness and brand building is a collaborative process. I just want to say how excited I am about what’s transpired over the last year in terms of marketing and our brand. Being more aggressive—it’s exciting.

It’s exciting to say, “This is The Right Way Forward. This is The Right Way to Play,” and find creative ways as a conference to tell that story.

In terms of what I see conferences doing—it’s doubling down. Utilizing that branding in our championships. That’s an area where we need to level up. As prominent as our conference logos are, NAIA logos and taglines should be just as prominent. That’s where we can do better and really take the message forward.

I love that.

What’s one moment this past year that made you stop and think, “This is why we do this”?

I don’t know if I have just one moment, but when we show up on site and spend time with our student-athletes—especially at championships—it’s special.

We’ve incorporated receptions where students can connect before they compete. One student-athlete came up to me and talked about wanting to be a public speaker—wanting to address other athletes at championships.

I thought, how cool would it be to allow a student-athlete to be the speaker? We often bring in alumni or professionals, but giving that opportunity to a student-athlete—to develop their brand and skillset—that was a moment.

That was really cool.

Let’s bring in Lincoln Thomae, chair of the NAIA Association of Student-Athletes and senior basketball player at Milligan.

Before we get into questions—March Madness just happened. We had a shooting competition. I shot 70% from the field. Alan took second at 60%. Where do you think you’d fall?

I would win.

What makes you so confident?

I’ve been playing a little bit longer.

Fair enough.

Talk to us—what makes the NAIA experience meaningful from a student-athlete perspective?

I think it’s the ability to compete at a high level while focusing on Champions of Character values. For me, that’s servant leadership. I get to play the sport I love while showing values that are part of who I am.

Being a servant to my teammates, my community, giving my time—it’s been awesome.

What’s one thing only an NAIA student-athlete would truly understand?

I’d say the feeling of being unique. Everyone knows the NCAA, but when you say NAIA, people ask what it is—and you get to tell that story. That’s special.

Do you have any advice for your peers?

The experience is what you make of it. Take the opportunities you’re given. Don’t say no. Manage your time, but lean in. I’ve been blessed with so many opportunities—and if I didn’t take them, I wouldn’t be here.

Finally—what would you say to a senior deciding where to go?

The NAIA is special. The people here care about you. It’s a strong community. You can compete at a high level while aligning with your values. For me, even my faith. That’s what drew me here.

From presidents to commissioners to student-athletes—this is what makes the NAIA special.

Huge thanks to Karl, Kiki, and Lincoln.

We’ve got incredible leaders in this association, and it’s exciting to see where we’re going.

What’s your takeaway?

Stability at all levels—from leadership to student-athletes. I’ve got goosebumps thinking about being part of this organization and where we’re headed.

I keep thinking about the theme—The Right Way Forward. We have the right people in place, and we’re moving forward together.

Education-based athletics—for student-athletes like Lincoln—it’s exciting.

That’s a wrap from the 2026 NAIA Convention.

If this is what The Right Way Forward feels like—we’re just getting started.

Thanks for joining us. Be sure to share this episode, send us your ideas, and keep the conversation going.

This is The Right Way to Play.