McCormack Alumni Newsletter

Alumni Newsletter Summer 2018

2018 Top Seniors

Summer 2017 | Message from Department Head

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 4 6 8 10 11 12 14 16 17

Letter from the Chair Points of Pride Awards Banquet Football Analytics Panel New Internship Funding McCormack & the Olympics Initiative for Underrepresented Students Student Engagement Alumni Updates Thank You!

Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management @McCormackUMass UMass Sport Management Alumni Group

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR Greetings Alumni and Friends, I hope you are having an enjoyable summer. As you will see from the contents of the newsletter, the Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management has had a productive year and we are looking forward to a new school year in the Fall.

development activities.

Thanks to all of you who contributed to UMass Gives! We had 293 individual donors (up from 202 last year) and generated a total of $25,655. We are so grateful for your response to the campaign. It will allow us to enhance the student experience as all of the funds will go directly into student initiatives such as scholarships and professional

Our high school summer program (a two week program for high school students designed to introduce participants to the world of sport management) welcomed 89 students in July. The students came from all over the United States (e.g., Florida, California) and the world (e.g., France, England, China). Will Norton, Lecturer and Director of the McCormack Center for Sport Research & Education (MCSRE), has grown the program substantially since arriving at UMass. Our highest total number of students before this year was 60. Professor Norton has done an excellent job planning and executing the program and its growth is testimony to the quality of the program.

Because of this success, later in July we hosted 60 high school students from the United Arab Emirates as part of a program designed to teach them about sport management.

We also have some exciting news about our faculty as well. Steve McKelvey was promoted to Full Professor this year, the highest level of promotion for professors in academia. Additionally, Matt Katz became a NASSM Research Fellow this spring, a designation that only approximately 1% of all NASSM members achieve in their careers. He joins Dr.’s Melton, McDonald, and Fink as NASSM fellows. Congratulations Steve and Matt!

Once again, thanks for all that you do to help make our department great. Our alumni help out in so many different ways and without you, we would not continue to be successful. I hope you have a wonderful rest of the summer.

Sincerely, Janet Fink

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POINTS OF PRIDE STARCK WINS ONE-TIME AWARD Chris Starck, Director of Corporate Sponsorships at Kraft Sports Group, was awarded a special honor for Account Representative of the Year from Bud Light.

This is the first time Bud Light has bestowed this honor, and they emphasized that this will also be the last time.

Bud Light decided they needed to recognize the over-the-top contributions made

by Chris throughout the year which epitomize what they seek and value from a true partnership. Chris was recognized at an event where the NFL and the Bud Light team partners gathered to review the brand’s objectives and strategies. They also featured his photo on a billboard in Times Square for one day.

ENSOR NAMED “PERSON TO WATCH” Rich Ensor, Commissioner of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, was named to The Sport Business Journal’s “People to Watch” list for individuals who will have an impact on the future of Women’s Basketball.

Earlier this year, Ensor took on the role of vice chair of the women’s basketball oversight committee. This committee manages the development and branding of women’s basketball. On top of this, he also works with the tournament selection and rules committee.

NEVAREZ NAMED COMMISSIONER Gloria Nevarez was selected to be the fourth full-time Commissioner of the West Coast Conference. With this appointment she becomes one of 10 females, and the first Latina, Commissioner in Division I. Prior to taking on this role Nevarez spent eight years as the Senior Associate Commissioner and Senior Woman Administrator of the Pac-12. Here she served as the primary liaison for men’s basketball and oversaw officiating, scheduling, television issues, event management, and the student-athlete experience.

KATZ EARNS RESEARCH DISTINCTION Dr. Matt Katz was named a NASSM Research Fellow. This award is intended to encourage high standards of research and scholarship and is an award of distinction amongst NASSM and academic communities.

To receive this award one must have published at least 15 refereed journal articles and given at least 20 refereed presentations. Katz joins Dr. Nicole Melton, Dr. Janet Fink, and Dr. Mark McDonald in receiving this prestigious honor.

LACHOWETZ RETIRES After 10 years with our department Dr. Tony Lachowetz has retired. “Lach” has certainly made an impact on our students, alumni, and department as a whole.

He’s responsible for bringing in an enormous amount of revenue through his online teaching and he has created popular, relevant classes both online and on campus. He worked on numerous events as the faculty advisor of the Student Leaders Club, and has brought the department substantial PR with publications in trade journals such as the SBJ. Tony plans to spend his retirement in Florida and Massachusetts.

HUDDELL NAMED VP Emily Huddell has taken on the role of Vice President, Brand Development at [2 one 5] Creative. Along with brand development, Huddell is responsible for overseeing corporate and client marketing.

After graduating from the MS program Emily went to work for Turnkey Sports and Entertainment for 12 years in a variety of roles. She completed her undergraduate degree in Magazine Journalism and Music at Boston University.

BATALIS MOVES TO WELLS FARGO After seven years with Learfield, Pam Batalis has taken on the role of Vice President, College Sports and Local Market Sponsorships at Wells Fargo.

In 2016 Pam was named an SBJ “Game Changer.” Throughout her career, Pam has launched three industry-first businesses, and worked in Fortune 500 brand strategy and market research consulting. On top of all of this, she regularly engages with our students and alumni to provide guidance and insight.

WURZBERGER INDUCTED TO HOF Leslie Wurzberger, Senior Vice President for Event Services at Anthony Travel, was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators Hall of Fame on June 28th, 2018. Wurzberger served as NACMA President from 2005 to 2006 and was on the board for seven years prior.

Before joing Anthony Travel Leslie spent over 12 years with the University of Washington.

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L to R: Colleen Duffy Brace, Bob Schwartz, Elissa Hollander, Dave Hixon, Melissa Marchionna, Kairon Serrette.

AWARDS BANQUET Eight alumni and 26 students received honors and scholarships at the Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management’s Annual Awards Banquet.

Alumni award recipients exemplify the broad footprint of our graduates in the sport industry and have all diligently given back to the department.

Student recipients represented the best and brightest. With impressive professional experience, extracurriculars, and community service this group maintains an average GPA of 3.5.

The Harold J. VanderZwaag Distinguished Alumnus award is given for professional excellence and outstanding achievement in the sports industry.

Colleen Duffy Brace (BS ‘95), Senior Vice President for Venue Services at ANC; David Hixon (MS ‘79) Head Men’s Basketball Coach of Amherst College; Jeff Goering (MS ‘97), Baltimore Ravens Senior Vice President / Chief Financial Officer; Bob Schwartz (BS ‘84) Vice President of Marketing for Spectra by Comcast Spectacor.

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The Alumni-on-the-Rise Award is awarded to alumni who have graduated within 5-10 years and have demonstrated exceptional acheivement.

Elissa Hollander (BS ‘11) Sr. Manager of the Hospitality & Events, MKTG; Melissa Marchionna (MS ‘09) Director of Social Media, MLS; Preetam Sen (BS ‘10) Director, Partnership Sales, Manchester City Football Club & City Football Group; Kairon Serrette (MS ‘08) Sr. Manager of Business Development, The Sports Company of Trinidad & Tobago.

STUDENT WINNERS Joan & Ed Barr Memorial Scholarship Stephen Black & Allison Baughman

47 Brand Scholarship Marissa Pati

Senior Leadership Award Tess Smichenko & Sean Julius

Eastern League Scholarship Jacob Barnes

Harold J. VanderZwaag Scholarship Jihwan Yoon

Kristian J. Rose, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Malika Antione Nicholson

Glenn Wong Sport Law Scholarship Jonathan Silverman

Erik K.M. Kjeldsen Scholarship Kate Avard & Nicholas Sears

Alumni Scholarship Grant Ossman & Morgan Mueller

Top Seniors Kayleigh Bishop-Kotarba, Will Campbell, Sean Julius, Marissa Light, Ryan Mahan, Mackenzie McCurdy, Jackson McDonnell, Marissa Randall, Tess Smichenko, Allison Steele, Brianna Stewart, Russell Wells

Marilyn & Richie Tannenbaum Scholarship Lindsey Cunniff

McCormack Center Scholarship Jacob Coles & Darius Webb

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ANALYTICS PANEL EXPLORES A CHANGING LANDSCAPE “Is the NFL ready for an analytics revolution in sports?” asked undergraduate moderator Sydney Robinson ’19 in the panel discussion, Every Yard Counts; A Conversation on Football Analytics. “This is the time to get in. It’s a big thing to establish that thought process,” said panelist Dean Oliver in regard to the evolving use of data analytics in sports.

Organized by the student clubs ADS and Sport Analytics the panel also featured Diane Bloodworth, and Dan Hatman ’11. Once an analytics consultant with the NBA, Oliver is widely known for his former role—on and off the air—as ESPN’s metrics guru.

Today, he is VP of Data Science with the Bostonbased sports analytics firm TruMedia.

Hurdles to the full-scale adoption of analytics in the NFL persist, Oliver continued, but those tools are becoming indispensable given their competitive value. “Player tracking data will revolutionize the game,” he emphasized, citing once elusive statistics like how long a quarterback holds the ball. The new analytics, he said, include the total quarterback rating, comprising clutch-weighted expected points added separately via passes and runs, quarterback playing times, and other measures.

Employing film to capture point of play data allows you to drill down and determine why “production” did or did not occur, observed Hatman. You will get results with a smaller sample size, but you’ll

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still need to overcome “lots of noise to figure out what is meaningful,” he said. Hatman is Director of Scouting Development with the Scouting Academy, an analytics-based trainer of football scouts.

“It’s still tough to get reliable statistics for high school and college players. The pros have much better data,” observed Diane Bloodworth. Diane is President, CEO, and Founder of Competitive Sports Analysis, which provides analytics that help colleges improve decisions in recruiting high-school athletes. Among other things, Bloodworth’s data points capture play-by-play, wellness and injury, and trading-related information. “But many coaches still prefer the subjective eyeball test. Our goal is to make the subjective more objective.”

Data analytics, remarked Hatman, are transforming our evaluation of player attitudes, techniques, and discipline. They allow us to understand why great athletes fail. Winning, he continued, can hinge on finding little improvements and the “routes” that lead to them. Minutiae matter.

“The leagues want greater parity among their teams,” underscored Hatman. “To that end, they are looking for opportunities to eliminate human error.”

That’s where analytics can play a major role, he said. Better data can inform better player decision making, added Oliver.

8 R: Will Norton, Dean Oliver, Dan Hatman, L to Sydney Robinson, Diane Bloodworth

ENDOWED INTERNSHIP AWARDS FUND Sport Management alumnus Bill Hubbard (BS ’87/ MBA ‘89), in conjunction with Tokio-Marine HCC, has established an endowed fund with a $1,000,000 gift that will provide financial support to McCormack Department of Sport Management students who participate in internships within the sport and entertainment industry.

STEVE McKELVEY

Stephen Black Marketing & Client Services Intern IMG - Golf

In addition to supporting students on internships, the award program seeks to make students more aware of the significance and impact of risk management, risk transfer and promotion insurance within the sport and entertainment industry, as well as of the career opportunities within this critical and growing segment of the industry.

Matthew Donnelly Summer Intern CSM Sport & Entertainment

“Internships are a crucial part of our students’ learning experience and resume building as they prepare for full-time jobs within the sport and entertainment industry,” said Dr. Janet Fink, Chair of the McCormack Department of Sport Management. “The opportunity to receive substantial financial awards, though Bill Hubbard’s generous gift, will only further encourage our students to seek out and engage in internship programs.”

Joseph Kuykendall Development Office Intern Basketball Hall of Fame

As part of the educational process, at the conclusion of summer internships award recipients will be provided the opportunity to present a risk management assessment or proposal to TMHCC executives based on key learnings from their respective internship experiences. The award is open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Shawn Lapp Social Media and Marketing Intern ID Sports USA

“The risk management and sport promotion industry is one that only continues to grow, and touches every single segment of the sport and entertainment industry,” said Hubbard, Chairman of Tokio-Marine HCC. “For today’s students, there can be financial challenges that can arise especially from unpaid internships. This program not only helps alleviate some of these financial challenges, but also introduces students to our segment of the sport and entertainment industry.”

Justin Minor Business Development Intern Washington Redskins

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MCCORMACK & THE OLYMPICS McCormack alumni have been making an impact on Olympic events in various ways for decades. Take a look at the expereinces of a few of these amazing alums: TED FAY, ‘99 PHD In nearly four decades with the Paralympic Games including as a member of the 1988 U.S. Winter Olympic Team, Ted witnessed progressions and regressions in athlete inclusion for athletes with a disability and institutional legitimacy.

Fay started his career 1980 as part of the second Winter Paralympic Games when he served as a race guide for Harry Cordellos, a blind cross-country skier. Reflecting on his first exposure to the Games, Ted recalled the insufficient rules and policies to support a sustainable organization. Athletes and staff were mostly self-funded, there was little crosscultural consistency, and the infrastructure at the time did not parallel that of the Olympics.

This inspired Ted to develop an overarching strategic plan and process to build a more inclusive U.S. team that encompassed athletes with many different disabilities – a team that as the Head Coach of the U.S. Disabled Cross Country Ski team would became the first national Paralympic team to be integrated into a traditional national team in 1986. Fay also helped launch the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) serving as its first Chair of the IPC Nordic Sport Section. He also spearheaded adding more objectivity to the process of assessing athletes racing classification as

based on their respective disability thus allowing athletes with different disabilities to be able to race against each other. This is now know and used as the “time factor system” for alpine and Nordic skiing.

Reflecting on what it means to work in global sport, Ted explained, “In terms of travel and immersion into other cultures, it becomes very addictive. Living and working in other cultures effectively turned me into the ‘activist and inclusionist’ that I am today.” For decades, Ted commuted all over the world, learning to communicate in many languages ranging from German, Japanese and Russian. “Often you’re right there when major world events are happening. Even if you’re not directly involved with them, those things stick with you forever.”

Although retired, Ted insists that he will “never not be involved in some way.” He explains that although the 2018 Winter Games reflected significant progress since he began in 1980, but “in terms of equality and full inclusion [they’re] not there yet.” To that end, he hopes in his lifetime to see athlete support comparable to those of the Olympics, teams fully integrated with respective national teams, and the Paralympics fully integrated with into the Olympic Games creating a context of “one Games.”

SAM KIM, ‘13 MS After earning his bachelor’s degree, Sam Kim accepted his first full-time pro hockey job as Sparky the Dragon, the New York Islanders’ mascot. This year, he experienced his first Winter Olympics as the video coach for the Korean Men’s National Ice Hockey Team.

While his hard work and experience in hockey certainly helped, he credits one experience in particular in launching his Olympic Career.

Colleagues had recommended he reach out to Jim Paek, the National Hockey League player of Korean descent, to discuss his professional goals. Nervous about making an unexpected call to a stranger, Kim decided to send an email— despite not knowing his address. So Kim set to work sending emails to every variation on Paek’s name paired with his company’s handle. Finally, he got the right one and within two days they were talking on the phone. Two years later, when Paek became head coach of the Korean National Team, he remembered Kim. For Kim, going to any Winter Olympics would have been remarkable, but to a Korean American, the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games were especially meaningful. Both of his parents, in fact, were born in Korea. Sam cherishes that he was able to witness the unification of the women’s ice hockey team, which brought North Korean hockey players over the DMZ line.

“My family on my mother’s side comes from a town north of the DMZ, but my grandfather moved south right around the time of the Korean War,” Kim explained. “Seeing the unified team come together with my own eyes symbolically brought my life full circle.”

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DANIELLE LOPEZ, ‘12 MS Danielle Lopez has been working in the International Games division of the USOC since 2015. Her team supports the logistics and operations of every Games event (Olympics, Paralympics, Youth Olympics, and Pan American Games) where Team USA is represented. While in this role Lopez has developed an expertise in Games program management and international event operations.

Recently, Lopez has been hired into the role of Senior Business Consultant where she leads and supports strategic planning, process improvement, and business analytics for a variety of divisions and projects across the USOC. Danielle first found her passion for global sport when she spent a semester abroad playing and coaching softball with a local team in Barcelona Spain. Her perspective and appreciation for the power of sport to impact communities across the world deepened when she walked onto the Canadian National Softball team and competed in the Pan American Games.

The experiences that shaped her pursuit of sport on a global scale were fundamental in shaping her decision to enroll in Sport Management at UMass.

Here she was paired up with her mentor, Nancy Gonsalves (MS ‘92) Associate Director of Sports Logistics at the USOC, who helped prepare her for a profession in international sport operations.

Working with the various Games events has been an incredible experience for Danielle. Though she has distinct memories as an avid fan of the Olympic Games; her time spent as a member of the “Team Behind the Team” has reshaped her love, passion and connection to the Games. “It’s the fortunate position of seeing it all from behind the television screen,” Danielle explains. “You have the unique opportunity to know and work alongside people from every sport and from every corner of the world each tackling challenges and pursuing excellence at the highest level.” For Danielle, it’s this environment and energy that creates a one-of-a-kind professional experience where she truly gets to witness and participate in the global impact and connective power of sport.

RACHEL LEE, ‘17 MBA/MS “It seems like very few things can truly unite people anymore,” Rachel stated. “To see the power of sport to bring athletes, fans, and communities together has been incredible.”

Over the past year she’s worked as a CRM Specialist within the Development division at the USOC. Rachel’s responsibilities include database management, analytics and reporting for Team USA’s fundraising programs.

For the 2018 Olympics, she built a Games Hospitality mobile app that provided on-ground event, hotel, and travel information for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation’s donors and guests in PyeongChang and Park City, Utah.

In Rachel’s first year working in global sport she was surrounded by friendly and open people who were always willing to provide support.

“Starting in a new job is always challenging,” she explained, “but I have felt supported every step of the way by my colleagues and especially other UMASS alums within the USOC.” BRENNAN BAXANDALL ’17 BS Recent graduate Brennan Baxendall is wrapping up his first year with Hockey Canada and working with the Canadian Para Ice Hockey Team.

For Brennan, being a part of the 2018 Paralympics has been a lifechanging experience.

Over the past year, Brennan oversaw team logistics such as travel, schedules, and accommodations. As the Opening Ceremony neared, he transitioned into managing the team’s family program. In that role, he coordinated family schedules, cultural activities, and daily socials. Going into the games, the Canadian Para Ice Hockey team had one goal: winning the gold. While a devastating goal from the Americans would prevent this, it gave Brennan the opportunity to see the phenomenal spirit of the games. “Our players and all of the Paralympic athletes have so much to be proud of and have already won much larger battles in life,” he explained. “I witnessed so much positivity, optimism, celebration, and joy. The overall excitement throughout the entire event was truly special.”

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MCCORMACK INIATIVE FOR UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS “Last summer, my alumni mentor, Melcolm Ruffin ’13, took me under his wing,” notes Isenberg McCormack Sport Management sophomore Davonté Higginbottom. “His insights on classes, club activities, and life advice have made a tremendous difference to me as a student and a person.” Sport Management junior Claudia Sam has similar praise for her alumni mentor, Tanya Downey ’14. “Tanya,” says Claudia, “has given me valuable advice on academics, out-of-classroom projects, and networking. Although our relationship dates to late January, I consider her more than a mentor. She’s really a life coach.”

With the mentorship program, we become a more welcoming, supportive place for students from minority backgrounds Davonté and Claudia are enthusiastic participants in McCormack Sport Management’s Initiative for Underrepresented Students. Formally launched during the fall 2017 semester, the program currently pairs eleven Sport Management graduates and the department’s current McCormack students— all from minority backgrounds. The bottom line is to create a more inclusive environment both at McCormack and Isenberg, emphasizes Nefertiti Walker, a Sport Management professor who is Isenberg’s schoolwide Director of Diversity and Inclusion. “With the mentorship program, we become a more welcoming, supportive place for

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students from minority backgrounds and engage alumni from those backgrounds as well,” she remarks.

The initial impulse for the mentorship program, Walker explains, originated with a recent graduate—Melcolm Ruffin, Associate Manager for the NBA G League, the NBA’s official minor league.

A former student of Walker, Melcolm reached out to her, Sport Management professor Nicole Melton, and Communications, Events and Alumni Relations Coordinator Molly McGuigan with a comprehensive strategy to improve minority student inclusion. A supportive department chair, Janet Fink, agreed that a mentorship program was the best first-step in implementing Ruffin’s longer-term initiative, which also includes recruitment, scholarships, and career development dimensions.

Many students from minority backgrounds, Ruffin observes, face added challenges in both relocating and maximizing an Isenberg education. Moving considerable distances from home, adapting to an unfamiliar campus culture, challenging coursework, and career planning—all can prove daunting.

Financial burdens are another potential game changer. That was evident to Ruffin when, as an involved alumnus, he spent considerable time and energy advising a promising high-school senior from Brooklyn on joining the Sport Management program. “In spite of our passionate commitment to inclusion, he went elsewhere because the other school offered him greater financial assistance,” Ruffin laments.

“After that, I asked myself, What am I going to do to help fix this?” he recalls. “So I spoke with other minority alumni—all passionate about giving— who helped me to come up with the four-prong strategic plan, including mentorships.” Many of those alumni, he adds, were themselves happy to participate as mentors. But it was crucial to match alumni to student interests and biographies.

Davonté Higginbottom and Melcolm, for example, both share a passion for basketball.

“Like me, Melcolm served as a student manager with the men’s varsity team,” notes Davonté.

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Melcolm, he adds, was deeply involved with the student organization, Association for Diversity in Sport (ADS). “Through ADS, Melcolm created McCormack’s annual student career fair. I have served as its co-chair.” One notable difference between the two: Davonté is double majoring in accounting. This summer he will intern with a Big 4 Accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers. But he is determined to marshal his skills—financial and nonfinancial—into a career in basketball management.

Tanya shared her personal background and what she went through. She has encouraged me to do things that set me apart and to always do the best I can Claudia Sam and Tanya Downey are both deeply passionate about soccer and share a Latina heritage. (Tanya is Senior Coordinator for Partnership Marketing with Major League Soccer.)

“I am from Westchester and Dominican; Tanya is from Texas and of Mexican heritage,” remarks Claudia. “We are both outgoing and she really understands and wants the best for me. It’s from the heart,” she emphasizes. To that end, “Tanya shared her personal background and what she went through. She has encouraged me to do things that set me apart and to always do the best I can.”

One clear differentiator was meeting up with and learning from Tanya’s boss at a recent professional soccer sport leadership conference in New York City. At the conference, Claudia networked with industry professionals and attended keynote and breakout sessions, learning from on- and off-the-

field leaders.

“For freshmen and sophomores, the new program strives to match mentors and students with similar areas of interest and cultural backgrounds,” explains Molly McGuigan, the department’s coordinator for communications, events, and alumni relations. For juniors and seniors, the match is more strategic, focusing on internships, career paths, and placements.” All mentors, she continues, are McCormack grads. Students make the first point of contact before they share face-time via skype with their mentors. “We give our matches considerable thought,” McGuigan continues. “That’s because every student needs something different.”

For Professor Walker, the new program has added value because she believes it will yield replicable, best practices. “And it’s the brainchild of an alumnus, who has considered minority inclusivity from every angle. That includes engaging our alumni as mentors and champions of our program.

Many of those graduates, we hope, will send their own kids to Isenberg.”

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STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

FUTURE LEADERS CONFERENCE NICK KAMINSKI ‘18 On February 10th, attendees from 8 colleges across the Northeast were treated to a day of networking, realworld experience, and panels. In the morning, students were able to hear from department head, Janet Fink, and the Founder and President of TeamWork Online, Buffy Filippell.

Throughout the day participants split into teams and worked on custom case studies with industry professionals in either sales, marketing, finance, event and facility management, or journalism. Each section offered the attendees an opportunity to live a day in the life of someone that worked in that industry and receive immediate feedback as though they were completing a task for their job. The day ended with a panel on college athletics in which Ryan Bamford, Laurie Priest, and Vaughn Williams discussed current issues within the industry and answered questions from attendees.

We’re excited to announce that next year our goal is to relocate this event to New York City in an effort to increase accessibilty to more speakers and college students. If you have any interest in being involved please reach out to Conference Director, Carly O’Keefe (‘19) at crokeefe@umass.edu.

SOCCERFEST Dr. Mark “Doc” McDonald’s event management students hosted another successful, yet muddy, SoccerFest in late April. The equivalent of 70 youth and adult teams (including all the youth recreational soccer players from Amherst & Northampton) enjoyed a day of competitive soccer, inflatables, music, and food. The young alumni council, many of whom are SoccerFest alumni, were able to spend the afternoon reminiscing in the VIP tent after their semi-annual meeting.

For 16 years SoccerFest has taught many students all of the trappings of event management and sponsorship. The unique and large scale event, run completely by students, replaced the successful 3v3 basketball tournament Haigis Hooplah in 2003. But, alas, all good things must eventually come to an end.

This year has provided the department with the opportunity to reevaluate the event as a whole and in doing so we’ve decided it’s time to adapt to the changing sport environment in our area and pursue other options to instill the important lessons learned in this course. Thank you to all who helped make SoccerFest such a memorable experience throughout the years! We’re excited to see what comes next!

ESPNW CONSULTING In April, 2016 espnW launched Campus Conversations; a nationwide initiative to speak with college students about the role of women in sports. The panel series focuses on four major topics - culture, lifestyle, sports, and voices - and boasts an impressive list of speakers.

In September, espnW executives reached out to Dr. Nef Walker, a former Campus Conversations panelist, and Dr. Nicole Melton in search of practical ways to improve the program. The request resulted in a robust consulting project for Melton’s graduate class which focuses on strategic issues in sport.

Throughout the spring students worked closely with espnW executives as consultants to discern the problems at hand. At the end of the semester they were able to present solutions to Laura Gentile, President of espnW, Carol Stiff, ESPN VP of programming and Acquisitions, and Jane Bullock, Associate Director of Strategic Projects and Operations at ESPN. “This was the BEST student presentation we have ever received. Smart, useful, practical and complete.” explained Gentile. “Your students had a great understanding of what we are trying to achieve with Campus Conversations and gave us real, tangible ways to improve the program and our interactions with studentathletes.”

The students’ proposed solutions - focused on topic selection, event promotion, and web content - were passed on to relevant departments within espnW and some will be implemented as Campus Conversations continues.

RESEARCH SEMINAR DAY Dr. Jeffrey Montez de Oca, an Associate Professor of Sociology and the founding director of the Center for the Critical Study of Sport at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs joined our students and faculty for a day to discuss his research in sociological theory, sport, media, and identity and inequality.

“As a respected sociology scholar, Jeff shared a unique perspective on the marketing practices of the National Football League (NFL) in his research presentation,” explained Dr. Liz Delia. “In addition, our doctoral students valued discussions with Jeff about research, teaching, and more broadly, academia.”

Montez de Oca had the opportunity to sit down with PhD students and faculty in intimate settings to delve into his recent work. The day ended with an open presentation titled “Putting the Kids to Work: NFL Youth Marketing Strategies” which focused on how the NFL markets to youth and women.

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CAREER UPDATES 1992

Pam Batalis, MS, VP, College Sports & Local Market Sponsorship Lead, Wells Fargo Marketing.

1993

Gloria Nevarez, BS,

Commissioner, West Coast

Conference.

1996

2012

Jenn Geary, BS, Corporate Partnerships Manager, New England Revolution, Kraft Sports Group; Josh Targe, BS, Premium Sales Consultant, Las Vegas Stadium; Andrea Tolisano, BS, Account Executive, New Britain Bees; Joshua Frishberg, BS, Account Manager, Cvent; Caroline DeFelice, Assistant, Player Personnel, NFL.

2013

Wade Martin, MS, Co-President, Powdr.

1998

Andrew Bard, BS, Sr. Director, Fan Experience, Consumer & Branding Marketing, Burson-Marsteller.

Robert Ficker, BS, Global Brand Manager, Incubate at Converse; Adam Tuval, BS, Senior Manager, Corporate Partnerships, Philadelphia Union; Nick Avanzato, BS, Assistant, Minor League Operations, New York Yankees.

2014

1999

Bill Chaves, MS, Athletic Director, University of North Dakota.

2001

Benjamin Rubin, BS, Director, Championship Operations, PGA of America.

2005

Emily Huddell, MS, VP, Brand Development, [2 one 5 Creative].

2006

Nino Vanin, MS, VP, Sponsorship Sales, Penn Sports Properties.

2007

Joshua Duboff, BS, Senior Product Manager Sports and Entertainment, Reuters News Agency.

2008

Dan Exter, BS, Lead Consultant, Theorem.

2009

Kati Karottki, BS, Director, Marketing Growth and Product Development, Emergy Labs.

2011

Danielle Lopez, MS, Sr. Business Strategy and Process Consultant, USOC; Brian Joyce, BS, Premium Seat Sales Director, Live Nation.

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Jennifer Russo, BS, Director of Sales Opersations, National Client Partnerships, Entercom; Michelle Linkletter BS, Broadcast Specialist, Integrated Marketing, MLB Advanced Media.

2015

Kellen Williams, MS, Strategic Marketing and Partnerships, LeadDog Marketing; Jonathan Azoulay, BS, Sr Account Executive, Premium Hospitality Sales, MSG; Kim Sadowski, MS, Financial and Procurement Analyst, Columbia University; Liz Lockett, BS, Associate Account Specialist, New Balance.

2016

Josh Kapiloff, BS, Assistant, Amateur Scouting, Miami Marlins; Ryan Gallant, BS, Assistant Director, Athletic Communications, UMass Athletics; Karan Yadav, MBA/MS, Business Director Sports Live and Entertainment, Wavemaker; Alphonse Dell’Isola, MBA/MS, Analyst, Hilton Corporate; Max Graf, MBA/MS, Assoc. Product Line Manager, Fanatics; Brandon Drummond, MBA/MS, Senior Analyst, Kepler Group; Danielle Byrd, MBA/MS, Strategy, Measurement, and Custom Research, Turnkey Sports and Entertainment; Nick Shaheen, Sr Account Executive, The Michael Alan Group; Justin Licker, MS, Player Personnel Assitant, Boston College; Akash Chaudry, MBA/MS, Business Intelligence Associate, Minnesota Timberwolves.

2017

Brittany Green, BS, Partnership Development Resident, Tampa Bay Lightning; Evan Sherwood, MS, Staff Assitant, MBA Admissions, Harvard Business School.

THANK YOU Our students benefit tremendously from each and every one of our donors. We’d like to sincerely thank all of you for your continued support.

Lauren P. Abraham

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Todd W. Crosset

Joshua Golden

Matthew J. Katz

James S. Marcou

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Gregg N. Allen

Jacob A. Cruz

Matthew F Goldsmith

Eli A. Keimach

Eric A. Martignetti

Carla Marion Pelton

Elizabeth J. Sheehan

Thomas R. Amico

Lindsey R. Cunniff

Nancy Gonsalves

Dan S. Kelleher

John D. Martin

Julio A. Pereira

Joanne Shulkes

Stacy M. Andler

Robert D’Angelo

Hannah Goodson

Samuel Paul Kim

Jordan Martin

Barry Perlmutter

Adam G. Sinclair

Mike P. Antolini

Erick Dalton

Jeremy L. Gordon

Karen M. Kindler

James Masteralexis

Eric M. Perlmutter

Susan T. Smichenko

Chris Antonetti

Caroline DeFelice

Julie E Gordon

Timothy J. Kingston

Lisa L. Masteralexis

Madison R. Perlmutter

Teresa Marie Smichenko

Kate Avard

Elizabeth Delia

Maximilian Graf

Erik K. Kjeldsen

Michael G Matt

Susan Persons

Rachel E. Spates

Denise Bakkum

Lauren M. Delisi

Samuel A. Grant

Matthew W. Komer

Kristin M Matula

Karen E. Peters

Russell Spielman

Kyle S Bamberger

Alphonse Dell’Isola

Bailey Graves

Mira J. Koplovsky

Kyle A. McClain

Randy Philavong

Christopher R. Starck

Carol A. Barr

Lilah A. Desabrais

Bradley T. Graves

Kelsey L. Koswick

Louise T. McCleary

Keith J. Pignetti

Tamara Statman

Alison M. Barry

Chris R. Deubert

Denise A. Graves

Kevin A. Koswick

Kayla D. McCulley

Isabelle Poirier

Harley Stoffmaker

Gail Barton

Patrick K. Di Gregory

Christopher Gray

Noah Kramer

Mackenzie McCurdy

Travis A. Pollio

Michael Surdek

Pamela J. Batalis

Peter G. Dickenson

Naama S. Green

Jake Krantz

Erin M. McDermott

Keith S. Pomeroy

Whitney B. Swab

Carol Anne Beach

Myrna Dickerson

Harvey S. Greene

Rachel L. Krasnow

Mark A. McDonald

Danielle F. Pourbaix

Stephen J. Szymczyk

Christian Beato

James M. Diloreto

Danielle Thomas

Frederick Krauss

Joseph R. McEacharn

Jeffrey S. Price

Ted Tagalakis

Melissa Beaupre

Dan Dineen

Geoffrey Peter Guerin

Beth W. Kravec

Allison H. Meley

Michelle B. Price

Elizabeth Taimi

Joelle T. Beck

Matthew A. Dion

Gregory Guerman

Saul Kravec

Molly R. McGuigan

John B. Pride

Nobu O. Tanaka

Garret S. Bedrin

Dana E. Dooley

Marilyn E. Gundersheim

Lawrence H. Krieger

Stephen M. McKelvey

Kyle E. Procter

Mark L. Tenggren

Alanna J. Berg

Bobbi-Sue Doyle-Hazard

Brian P. Haley

Suzanne Kubik

G. Scott McNett

Scott K. Proefrock

David Carl Tews

Joshua P. Berlo

Joshua M. Duboff

Benjamin Halper

Charles C. Kulch

Scott M. Meaney

Denise Prophet

Linda L. Thomas

Thorr Bjorn

Michelle Duff

Lauren A. Hambidge

Joseph Kuykendall

Elizabeth N. Melton

Darryl A. Racca

Joann Tracy

Stephen Black

Nathaniel D Easton

Robert J. Hanlon

Paul Lambert

Joseph Melton

Parker Remy-Miller

Michelle E. Tracy

Robert Blanck, Jr.

Sam C. Ehrlich

Roberta Hanlon

Paul I. Lanning, Jr.

Viki Melton

Abigail Rice

Stephanie A. Tryce

Brandon Blumstein

Brandon L. Ellis

Melissa H. Harkavy

Raymond J. Leblanc

Alex S. Mercer

Anne Richmond

Stephanie M. Tuttle Brisette

Luke J. Bonner

Ryan E. England

Dana L. Harmon

Rachel G Lee

Nikunj Tushar Merchant

Cary Robinson

Tom Twyman

Gregory Bouris

Jeremy S. Erber

Alexandra Hart

Seth H. Leeds

Emily N. Miles

Laurie S. Robinson

Jaclyn R. Van

Michael R Bowen

Joshua D Estes

Patrick R. Hart

Andrea M. Leoutsakos

Benjamin I. Monat

Ross A. Robinson

Jane VanderZwaag

Jennifer L. Bozek

Troy B. Ewanchyna

Jared Hawk

Nicholas M. Leoutsakos

Patrick T. Muldoon

Sydney G Robinson

Jeffrey A. Wagner

Colleen D. Brace

Corey P. Farrell

James W. Henry

LiLi Leung

Catherine Mullaney

Seth I. Rotberg

Keith J. Walas

John S. Brickley

Theodore G. Fay

Glen R. Herold

Allison T. Levine

Bernard J. Mullin

Lisa A. Rothlein

Nefertiti A. Walker

Cory B. Brine

Nathaniel H. Finan

Andrew Herstine

Joan Levitts

Kevin Murphy

Steven B. Rubin

Luke L. Wamboldt

Amy B. Brown,

Janet S. Fink

Davonte Higginbottom

Kenya R. Lewis

Megan A. Murphy

Melcolm X. Ruffin

Laura Wayne

Christopher Brown

Michelle R. Finley

Zachary Hildenbrandt

David P. Lindholm

Takehiko Nakamura

Noel A. Ruiz-Castaneda

Adam B. Weinstein

Faith Brown

Michael T. Fish

Bridget Hollenback

Elizabeth M. Lockett

Elizabeth A. Nash

Jennifer L. Russo

Russell Scott Wells

Marie E. Brown

Daniel A. Fisher

Laurel A. Hosmer

Kevin W. Lombard

Todd D. Nebeker

Kimberley Sadowski

Michelle L. White

Sonja Brown

Daniel J. Fitzpatrick

William F. Hubbard

Jianhao Long

Katherine E. Nelson

Sabrina G. Santana

David J. Wilber

David A. Buegler

Jennifer Fitzpatrick

Emily M. Huddell

Anthony Lopez

Nishant Nereyeth

Andrea C. Savage

Peter S. Wilder

Katherine M. Cain

Connor J. Floyd

Neal A. Huntington

L.A. Love

Scott C. Nevins

Scott H. Savran

Jeffrey C. Wile

James T. Carr

Curtis Floyd

Sarah H. Hurd

Tammy D. Lovewell

Jacob A. Newton

Eric T. Schwager

Karen M. Williams

Maura J. Carrier

Kathryn Floyd

John Hutchinson

Celeste M. Lynch

Garrett R. Nolan

Shoshana E. Schwartz

Kellen A Williams

Daniel R. Carroll

Reed G. Fox

Melissa Hylton

Michael J. Lynch

William A. Norton

Mark R. Scialabba

Mark E. Wilson

Gregory J. Carvel

Erik William Franke

Jeffrey Ianello

Richard T. Lynch

Michael K. O’Neill

Edward Sefranka

Robert F. Windheim

Akash Chaudhry

Christine M. Franklin

Timothy Jablonsky

Neil A. Macready

Thomas A. O’Shea, Jr.

Amy A. Senecal

Joseph M. Wolff

Jennifer A. Claypool

Mark M. Gallego

Alexander L. Jacobs

Rachelle C. Madrigal

Cameron O’Toole

Donna Serisky

Jonathan I. Wolk

Joe B. Cobbs

Mary B. Galvin

Zaileen Janmohamed

Robert B. Magnus III

Elliott M. Ogden

Nathaniel E. Serisky

John T. Wolohan

Ovidiu Cocieru

Andrew L. George

Elizabeth A. Janzen

Ryan Christopher Mahan

Grant Ossmann

Ron S. Serisky

John M. Woodbury

Carol E. Cohen

Eric B. Ginsberg

Robert C. Jones

Arshad M. Malik

Paul Ossmann

Sara L. Serisky

Leslie K. Wurzberger

Scott J. Cohen

Andrew Giordano

Zachary Jones

Brody W. Mankus

Max Pachner

Kairon O. Serrette

Zachary A. Zaremba

Amy E. Coleman

Carolyn M. Girard

Vinu George Joseph

Jeffrey S. Mann

Nikolay Panchev

Elnaz Shah Rokhi

Scott Zuffelato

Lewis C. Collins

Chantelle Girard

Melissa N. Jubinville

Lisa J. Marberblatt

Christopher R. Parisi

Nicholas G. Shaheen

Sarah Corso

Jacob Peter Girard

Robert Karmin

Arturo J. Marcano

Chris R. Peacock

Sidney W. Shapiro

17

New York Red Bulls 2018 Season Kick-Off with alums Sammy Steinlight ‘98, Amy Scheer ‘86, John Gasparoni ‘11

Mets Alumni in NYC

18 Isenberg’s NYC Happy Hour

Jay Monahan with former faculty member (and his GA supervisor) Bill Sutton

Crosset’s GAs

2018 McCormack at the Mets

Alumni at Knicks Suite

DC Happy Hour NACDA Breakfast

Let us know when you get together with alumni, hit major milestones, win awards, get new jobs, or change addresses!

Please send updates to mckelvey@isenberg.umass.edu

19 Dual alums mini reunion

NON PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID AMHERST MA

121 Presidents Drive, Room 236 Amherst, MA 01003

PERMIT NO. 2

A111796

20