NATAPAC Keynote Highlights Impactful Leadership
In the Chuck Kimmel Memorial NATAPAC Luncheon keynote address, Mark Coberley, MS LAT, ATC, NATA Hall of Fame member and past District Five director, offered reflections on leadership, advocacy and the power of consistent, intentional action.
Speaking to a room of emerging and established leaders, he delivered a compelling message built not on personal accolades, but on decades of observation and lived experience.
“I always have found my batteries recharged after this event,” he said, reflecting on the NATAPAC event’s significance and legacy.
He paid tribute to the work of the NATA Governmental Affairs Department as well as the enduring impact of NATA Past President Chuck Kimmel, for whom the event is named.
Coberley centered his message around five key observations of what makes someone an impactful difference-maker – a term he used throughout the address to describe those who elevate the profession through their actions and leadership. His insights were drawn from personal experiences, professional mentors and lessons learned across more than 35 years of service.
1. Protect and Advance the Brand
At the core of leadership, he said, is the awareness that “the image of one projects the image of all.” Impactful leaders protect their profession’s reputation and anticipate the consequences of decisions. Drawing from Dan Heath’s concept of “upstream thinking,” he emphasized the need to prevent problems before they occur.
2. Ask the Tough Questions
True leaders challenge the status quo. Coberley highlighted the courage it takes to ask difficult, sometimes uncomfortable questions.
“It is my observation that if there is a room where everyone agrees on everything all of the time, the room doesn’t have the right leaders, and the right questions aren’t being asked,” he said, encouraging emerging leaders to adopt what researcher Adam Grant calls a “Vuja De” perspective of seeing old situations in new ways.
3. Do What Is Right
Leadership requires integrity and sacrifice. The most impactful leaders, Coberley said, are those who choose the harder path when it's the right one, even when it goes against their own interests. Doing the right thing, he said, often means making unpopular decisions grounded in context and empathy.
4. Embrace Change
In a volatile and ever-shifting world, Coberley urged the audience to be adaptable and transparent. He quoted Jim Collins' “Good to Great” and Mark Twain to drive home the importance of learning from failure and preventing history from “rhyming.” He challenged veteran leaders to pass on what hasn’t worked and emerging leaders to seek those lessons.
5. Live the 1% Principle
Perhaps the most resonant takeaway was his call to “find your 1%.” He described this as investing just nine minutes a day in actions that advance the profession – mentoring, advocating, educating or even making a call to a lawmaker.
“Understand that 1% daily compounds like interest,” he said. “My wish for today is that everyone consider the 1% and bring others along with you.”
Coberley’s message was a powerful blend of wisdom, encouragement and challenge – urging attendees to own their influence, no matter their career stage, and help shape the future of athletic training one thoughtful action at a time.
Watch the convention photo recap video below for photos from the NATAPAC luncheon, and visit the NATA PhotoZone on SmugMug for more NATA 2025 photo highlights. Stay tuned to this ongoing series through the end of August – you might just spot yourself in one of our video recaps.
This article was created with the assistance of AI, which was instructed to extract key points from the NATAPAC keynote speech. Content was reviewed, edited and fact-checked by NATA staff.
