Lydia is currently the Director of Campus Recreation at North Central College.
In 2018, she became the first Director of Campus Recreation at the college. Institutional restructuring due to the pandemic expanded the scope of her work and transitioned her to the Director of Student Activities and Campus Recreation. In January of 2022, she moved back to the role of Director of Campus Recreation where she now reports to the Vice President of Student Affairs and Athletics and is being tasked with reshaping how the campus community leads an active, healthy lifestyle through sport, fitness, and play.
Lydia is responsible for the development and oversight of all functions within campus recreation (Rec Sports) including group fitness, intramural sports, club sports, informal recreation, instructional programs, and outdoor adventure programs. She also provides oversight of the college's club sports teams including the supervision of coaches for both the Cheer & Dance teams.
In addition to overseeing Rec Sports, Pond has traveled with students to Germany, Kenya, Guatemala, and Pennsylvania as support staff on service and short-term study abroad experiences. She also teaches in North Central's School of Education and Health Sciences both at the graduate and undergraduate level. Additionally, Pond serves as the Advisor for the Outdoor Adventure Club (OAC) on campus and previously advised the wildly successful student organization, Sport Management Association (SMA), from 2014-2018. Lydia's work within SMA led to the creation of the Sport Business Conference held annually on the North Central campus. Most notably, Lydia led 10 students to intern at Super Bowl XLIX in Phoenix in 2015, where they worked directly with NFL partners for a week. Students graduating out of SMA under Lydia's tutelage have landed internships or professional positions with including, but not limited to : The Chicago Cubs, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Blackhawks, Professional Golf Association, Cleveland Browns, and Chicago Bears.
Lydia joined North Central College in 2010 as the Coordinator of Recreation Programs and Assistant Athletic Facilities and Events Manager. Pond also held the position of Head Women's Tennis Coach from 2015-2017 where she had a career winning percentage of .605%.
In 2015, Pond was the recipient of the Harold R. Wilde Distinguished Service Award, given to an outstanding faculty or staff member each year for going 'above and beyond the call of duty' on campus.