It was quite a run.
After nearly 60 combined years of dedicated service to Cal State Bakersfield, which included the university's transition to NCAA Division I competition, Cindy Goodmon and Debbie La Febre retired at the end of 2024.
"We're losing a lot of institutional knowledge," said Kyle Conder, Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics.
Goodmon started at CSUB in 1985 when she took a position in human resources and moved to the athletics department ten years later, finishing off her career as Deputy Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator. She served as the Roadrunners' Interim Athletic Director for five months prior to Conder's hiring in Oct. 2022.
When Conder came on board, one of the first things he wanted to do was establish a mission statement for the Athletics Department that featured a vision and core values.
To establish a baseline for these goals, Conder distributed a survey to the school's coaches, staff members, and student-athletes, and also sent questions to key members of the community and on campus.
"What are our priorities? What do we value? What do you think is our mission, the vision and the core values of the Athletics Department?" He also asked for the names of any current employees that embodied those qualities.
As it turned out, Conder didn't have to look too far to find an answer.
"Don't hold me to these numbers, but it was probably like 80 to 90% of those surveys had Cindy's name on them as somebody that everybody in our department really respected," Conder recalled, "and they talked about her commitment and her loyalty and her kindness, and the way she makes people feel valued and important, and the selfless way that she goes about the things that she does for the University and CSUB Athletics. It was remarkable, just this overwhelming response of people that I think just love and respect her."
La Febre was another name that Conder quickly identified.
A former correctional officer, La Febre opted to change careers and arrived at CSUB as an intern before accepting a position in Athletics in 2004.
Over the next 20 years she worked in almost every aspect of the department. From ticketing and marketing to corporate sponsorships and fundraising, then finally helping Goodmon run business operations, La Febre was entrenched in the everyday fabric of the department for most of the last two decades.
La Febre was one of the first recipients of the Athletics Department's RISING Award, recognizing staff who best demonstrated CSUB Athletics' core values of Respect, Integrity, Spirit, Inclusion, Nurture, and Grit.
"I think she lives by those core values every single day, and I think people know and respond and respect her," Conder said. "I like to pride myself on getting to the office pretty early. But I knew Debbie was going to beat me to the office every single morning. So again, that level of commitment and contribution to the department, and to our student-athletes and coaches, is just second to none. There could not have been a more fitting recipient of one of our inaugural RISING awards than Debbie."
Goodmon and La Febre worked side-by-side the past 20 years, helping to foster the next generation of employees to carry the torch into the future.
"I'm so lucky to have been able to work with Cindy and Debbie," said Eddie Brewer, Associate Athletics Director for Facilities & Game Day Operations. "It's like, from Day One, they just treated me as their own. Cindy and Debbie are like mother-figures to me, and they've done nothing but try to make this department better. They always taught us how to handle things, and not only on the business side, but just how to be good humans. That's really what I got from them. It's just how to be a better husband, how to be just a better person, a better father."
To illustrate what made Goodmon and La Febre so special, Brewer shared a story that demonstrated their collective work ethic.
A handful of years ago CSUB hosted a conference volleyball tournament, an event that took place over the Thanksgiving holiday.
"They never shied away from working," Brewer said. "They had families at home and a lot of us were younger and didn't. They could have chosen to spend time at home, but they worked the tournament with us and also helped us celebrate Thanksgiving. And that's the way it was at every event.
"They're not afraid to work, which makes you want to do the work yourself. It didn't matter if it was sweeping the floors or cleaning off tables. They didn't have to do it, but they did. It's that work ethic that kind of rubs off on the rest of us, and it makes us want to show up every day and do the work with a smile on our face, just like them. You know, we just want to match them, match their energy."
Goodmon and La Febre are planning to spend more time with their extended families, which includes a handful of grandchildren.
"It's going to be interesting," Goodmon said. "My car is on autopilot to go to CSUB, so it's gonna be really weird waking up and not having to go to CSUB everyday."
Although she's looking forward to her retirement, Goodmon will miss plenty more than just drive into work.
"I think the biggest thing for me is that I'm just so grateful for the student-athletes," Goodmon said. "I mean, that's why we're here. It's for our student-athletes. And I've had many messages from former student athletes that have congratulated me. We're a big part of their lives while they're here, and so every one of us needs to take that seriously, and we can help them in so many ways.
"Many of them come in thinking, 'Oh, I'm going to play professionally when I graduate.' Well, yeah, they might not go on to play professionally, but they're going to think a lot differently. They're going to talk differently, and they're going to want to contribute back to society, and they just become a completely new person. And that's so rewarding to me as a mom of five kids. I love the transformation of students that they gain with their education, and then they get to play ball or compete in their sport throughout the two or four years that they're here."
La Febre conveyed similar emotions when discussing what she'll miss most about CSUB, but also appreciates the relationships she's built over the years.
"A lot of people kind of come and go, but I'm also super thankful that I'm in touch with so many people that don't work here any longer, but kind of forged that bond," La Febre said. "I'm super thankful for a number of people that I'm still in touch with and have that relationship with, and I think that comes from this unique type of environment where you do spend so much time with people. It's not just a Monday through Friday, 8 to 5. You might work six, seven days a week. You might have weeks where you work 50, 60, 70 hours with all the games and events. So it's definitely a different atmosphere, but there's definite benefits to it."
The existing commitment level of the department helped make Conder's transition at CSUB a lot easier.
"I think it gives you a ton of confidence in what we're doing and how we're doing it here," Conder said. "You know, a lot of times people will ask new folks when they come on board things like, 'what keeps you up at night?' And I always felt like, well, if Cindy or Debbie have their hands and eyes on a project or a process or a task, then I just know I can sleep well at night, knowing that they've got it and it's going to be done well, and it's going to be done with care and attention."
Moving forward, Conder has the confidence that the department's vision and core values will continue.
"Everybody in our department saw what they were doing," Conder said. "Cindy is somebody that everybody in our department respects. And so if I want to be somebody that contributes and is valuable and garners the trust and respect that she has, then I should model her behavior. And if Debbie is somebody that was celebrated with the RISING Award, then I should model her behavior. So really I believe they are leaving a lasting legacy as the best of us."
~GoRunners.com~
