For a handful of NCAA Division I athletes, life after college means a transition between college sports and the professional ranks. Kate Townley is one of those people. For her, however, that meant going to work for the Minnesota Twins baseball organization.
 
It's been 16 years since Townley concluded a prolific career with the Binghamton women's basketball team. She was the starting point guard in her final three years and was named third-team all-conference in each of those seasons. Nearly two decades since she graduated, Townley is still one of the top assist leaders in program history.

Like the administration at Binghamton University, Townley and the Minnesota Twins have had to adjust to the COVID-19 epidemic. Along with Major League Baseball as a whole, the Twins returned to action in late July after weeks of intense preparation.
 
We caught up with Townley, who reflected on her time at Binghamton, talked about her role with the Minnesota Twins and conveyed how much her years as a Bearcat prepared her for her current role.
 
Tell us exactly what you are doing these days with the Minnesota Twins organization
 
Titles can always be a little confusing since the responsibilities vary from team to team, so here's my best explanation for what Director of Baseball Administration does at the Twins.  I compose all Major and Minor League contracts / agreements for players and staff.  I administrate all Major League contracts, tenders, player transactions, waivers, and maintain our Club's 40-man roster. I prepare, submit, and maintain all Major League budgets. I oversee the Baseball department purchasing for both front office and the Major League team with the assistance of our Home Clubhouse Manager.  I'm part of the team that works on our Arbitration process, and I handle some of the negotiations with players.  Most recently, I have been tasked with leading our Diversity and Inclusion initiatives specifically in the Baseball department but also expanding into our Front Office practices.  My role throughout the years has changed quite a bit but it still just revolves around making sure things get done and that the ship runs smoothly.  I've been on the administrative side of things my whole career -- I guess now I'm just leading a lot of those areas.
 
 You have been with the Twins since you graduated from Binghamton. What has your career progression been like since then?
           
My first full-time position with them was in the Scouting Administrative side, then I moved over to Minor League administration and did that for about 10 years and as of most recently, I have been working on the Major League operations side for the last three years.
 
How were you able to get connected with the Twins organization?
 
I had a friend from high school that was working with the Twins at the time and I knew I wanted to work in sports so I reached out to her when I moved back to Minnesota and she got my resume in front of some people. I was fortunate to get hired as an intern and then worked my way into a full-time role.
 
Going back in time, what led you to come to Binghamton in 2000 - especially when it was still a year away from moving up to the NCAA Division I level?
 
There were several factors for me when choosing Binghamton.  The first was after my official visit I got a sense of who would be my teammates. They were a great group of women, and we connected right off the bat.  The second reason was the playing opportunity I saw. I knew I was going to be behind Bess Greenberg who was so talented and so well accomplished, I thought what an opportunity for me to learn under someone of her caliber.  She was going to be a senior when I was a freshman so the idea of being able to learn the system, work with her for a year, and then try to fill that point guard role the next three years was really appealing.  The last reason was actually my brother -- he had told me how important he thought it was for me to get out of Minnesota and to see another part of the country.  So he was pushing for me to get out of my comfort zone and go somewhere totally different from what I knew. 
 
What was the transition like going from Minnesota to Binghamton?
 
It was a really long drive and a lot fewer lakes in Binghamton!  Seriously though, it was hard for about the first week because you are so far from home and you barley know anyone and everything is new to you.  However, the beauty of going to college with an athletic scholarship is that you are immediately a part of a group of people.  You have an immediate set of potential friends. I was doubly fortunate too because I had a friend / teammate from Minnesota, Leala Wegwerth, who had also signed with Binghamton, so not only did I have a friend from Minnesota, I also had all my new teammates to help make the transition easier.
 
 You joined a veteran program that went on to win 22 games your freshman year. How did the upperclassmen make the adjustment smooth for you?
 
It was simple. They treated everyone equally. There was no "hazing" or egotistical attitudes; we were a team.  It sounds eay but the ability to put yourself aside for the betterment of the team as a whole is incredibly hard and the upperclassman did exactly that, so the transition was incredibly easy.
 
 In April 2001, you were at the ceremony when Binghamton was formally invited to join the America East Conference. What was that day like?
 
It was very exciting.  I remember getting dressed up in our travel gear and being surrounded by my teammates but also other athletes at the University and there was just a buzz of excitement in the air.  It was so fun to be a part of that history.
 
As a sophomore, Binghamton went 19-9 and placed third in the America East in their first year in the league and you were named third-team all-conference? How good did it feel to have Division I success right out of the gate?
 
From a team and personal perspective, it felt very validating.  I had always dreamed about going to college on a basketball scholarship and competing at the highest collegiate level so when we had immediate success at D1, it felt like I had achieved a life goal.  I can't speak for my teammates but I would assume they felt similarly.  We had a lot of talented upperclassmen on that team and I think everyone always knew they could compete at that level so it was especially exciting to watch them shine in that D1 light.
 
In your senior year, Binghamton went 17-10 and placed second in the America East - after being picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll. What were the keys to that years' team exceeding expectations?
 
Oddly, I think it was finding the calm in the chaos of that year.  Shortly before the year started our head coach at the time left to go to another school and our assistant coach, Rich Conover, was appointed the head coach role.  We had had only two seniors leave but had four new freshmen coming in so there was a lot of change to the team dynamic.  I think we took all of those changes and new team chemistry and used them to drive our success.  I would be remised if I did not also credit our freshmen that year. We had some very talented freshmen, which also helped propel us forward.          
 
What has the bond been like between you and your Binghamton teammates through the years?
 
For my four years there, we really operated like a family.  There was always a bond to each other that didn't need to be spoken about.  You just knew your teammates had your back but you also knew there were going to be times when you disagreed and fought.  No family is perfect and we were no exception but there was always a constant love and appreciation for what each of us brought to the table. 
 
Were there any classes at Binghamton that prepared you for your years with the Twins organization?
 
Not to offend any of the wonderful professors I had at Binghamton but the real lessons I learned that have prepared me best for my role within the Twins were learned by being a part of a team.  I know it sounds cliché to say but it's amazing how many important correlations there are to being a part of a team and working within any organization.  Being on a team taught me how to be unselfish, to see the bigger picture, to find success in other people's triumphs and learn from my mistakes.  It also taught me to recognize that there are different types of leadership.  Sometimes leadership looked like me taking the ball and making something happen and other times it had me in a supportive role on the sidelines allowing someone else to shine.  All of those lessons carry over into my every day at work. 
 
What are you most thankful about having been a part of the Binghamton women's basketball program?
 
That's an easy answer, the people. My time at Binghamton and specifically within the athletics program afforded me the opportunity to create lifelong friendships. From the leadership of athletics, to the coaches, support staff and all the way down to each player; I met so many wonderful people. Individual moments are always wonderful memories but the relationships I took away from Binghamton are what I treasure most.

This year's Binghamton team won 22 games -- the first time that has happened since your freshman season. What are your thoughts about the team's performance this year?

I did follow them from afar thanks to help from social media.  I always want to see Binghamton women's basketball doing well and this past year had a lot of fun highlights to see.  There were a lot of great players on the team but I have to say I was a little biased to Kai Moon since she was representing the guards so well. I have a bias to point guards specifically but really any guards.  I was really hoping this year was going to be the year the Bearcats went to the dance and even though they came up a little short, I think it's a precursor for what's coming with this program.  They had an incredible season overall and I can say as an alumni I am very proud of how they represented Binghamton. I am really looking forward to what's next for them.
 
Getting back to your current situation - what were those first few months like after the baseball season was halted due to COVID-19?
 
 It was unsettling.  I was in Florida for spring training when we abruptly halted Spring Training and flew back to MN.  I had no idea how long the shutdown would last but I wasn't personally prepared for it to be as long as it was and honestly, I had reservations of us even starting up again.  The months leading up to us starting again were filled with a lot of zoom calls and purposeful connections being made because people were on edge.  It wasn't clear if people would need to take pay cuts, be furloughed, or even worse be let go and since we were all working from home and unable to be around each other it added to the anxiety.  At the same time we were working through all of that with staff we were also trying to wrap our heads around if the time came when it was safe to return to some sort of playing how could we facilitate that as safely as possible for people.  So those months were actually went by fairly quickly.
  
Can you describe the amount of preparation the Twins made to get ready for the season to continue?

It took a whole lot of people and a whole lot of conversations to get ready for Spring Training 2.0 and then subsequently the season.  There were so many meetings internally, with MLB and across the league to try to figure out how this could all work.  Questions would arise and sometimes there would be answer and sometimes there weren't and so it took a great deal of organization and creative thinking to get us to where we are now.
           
Minnesota began the 2020 season with a record of 12-7 and were in first place in the America League Central Division. How much has the Twins start boosted the morale following the long layoff?
 
We're obviously really happy to see our team doing well thus far and being able to have baseball back was a huge boost for employee morale but we also hope on some level it was a boost for the morale of our country.  We always strive to have our sport be bigger than the game itself and so we hope that giving people something to watch and root for on TV again helps lift people's spirits.  With all that being said, there still is an undercurrent of anxiety.  We have to remember that these players are humans with families and fears and feelings and it's not just the players who are putting themselves at risk on a daily basis but all of the support staff around them. So as much as I enjoy seeing us playing and love even more seeing us doing well, I will be most excited if we can keep everyone safe and healthy.
 
How much has your own job changed since the COVID-19 pandemic started?
 
 It's changed quite a bit.  I have similar day-to-day responsibilities with the season underway again but there are newer rules with this truncated season and I find myself having to learn the new rules as I go a little more these days.  Another area that I have really been focusing on more during COVID is my newer role within our Diversity and Inclusion space.  I was recently fortunate enough to be on a webinar panel featuring women in baseball operations where we addressed some of the challenges and lack of representation of women on the baseball side of our industry.  I've also been working with others throughout our Organization to address the social injustices are country is facing and how we at the Twins will work towards doing our part to not only make the Twins environment as inclusive and diverse as possible but to also find ways to use our platform to make an impact globally.  Lastly, I will say one of the hardest changes to my job since having to work remotely has been the lack of personal connection with my co-workers, our coaches, and staff.  I pride myself on my ability to connect and develop relationships with people and I find it one of the more enjoyable parts of my job, to connect with people.  Not being able to be around the people, I have worked with for so long or even for just a year has been tough.

Final question -- you had the unique situation of one of your high school classmates, Joe Mauer, starring for the Twins while you were working with the organization. What has that friendship been like over the years?
 
 It was so awesome to see him doing so well in his athletic career and it was especially awesome to get to watch him from a "front office" seat.  Joe's such an easy person to be around and we have known each other for so long, it was just enjoyable to see such a good person be so successful.  I tried spreading the lies around the office that I taught him everything he knew but those didn't get too far.  Even though he is retired, at the old age of 37 by the way, we still keep in touch and if this were a normal season, we would make sure to see each other when he would come to our home games.