Event on Oct. 17 is free and open to the public
TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 27, 2018) – The public is invited to join University of South Florida students, faculty and staff for the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management Program’s Lecture Series on Wednesday, Oct. 17, featuring three front-office superstars in the business of sports.
This year’s lineup includes:
Dan Reed heads up Facebook’s Global Sports Partnerships, which engages the world’s largest community of sports fans. He builds strategic partnerships with leagues, teams, athletes, broadcasters and publishers, to help them engage with their global fan base. He has been named one of SportsBusiness Journal’s “50 Most Influential People in Sports Business” for the past two years and is a 40 Under 40 award recipient from both the SportsBusiness Journal and Crain’s New York Business.
Rick Welts is the president and COO of the Golden State Warriors, winners of the NBA championship for three of the past four seasons. Considered one of the most respected business executives in the league, Welts is in his fifth season with the Warriors. Under his direction, the organization has won numerous awards, aside from championships, including in May 2014 when the organization was named “Sports Team of the Year” by the SportsBusiness Journal.
Jay Parry has three decades of professional experience in the private and sports sectors, including a stint as COO of the WNBA. Her career has focused on building businesses and sports franchises, with an emphasis on business strategy, planning, marketing and customer experience. While at the WNBA, she helped grow the game worldwide and in 2016, she served as president and CEO of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee.
The three speakers will share experiences, insights and strategies at the event scheduled for 7:15 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) on Oct. 17 in the Yuengling Center. The panel is expected to discuss a variety of relevant topics, including the Nike/Colin Kaepernick campaign, impacts of sports gambling legislation, the evolution of digital content and other important industry trends.
“Collectively, these three individuals will provide great insights and advice for our students and other business leaders in our community,” said Mike Mondello, the program’s associate director and professor in the USF Muma College of Business. “We are particularly excited about this year’s speaker series representing three global brands including Facebook, the WNBA and the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors. The integration of sports and technology continuing to evolve in several sectors of sports business will be discussed by these industry leaders.”
Anyone interested in attending can register here.
The Vinik Sport & Entertaining Management Program was recently recognized by SportBusiness International as the top graduate program in Florida and the fourth best in the world.
About the University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, established in 1956 and located in Tampa, is a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success. The USF System includes three separately accredited institutions: USF, USF St. Petersburg and USF Sarasota-Manatee. Serving more than 50,000 students, the USF System has an annual budget of $1.8 billion and an annual economic impact of $4.4 billion. USF ranks in the top 30 nationally for research expenditures among public universities, according to the National Science Foundation. In 2018, the Florida Board of Governors designated USF as a Preeminent State Research University, placing USF in the most elite category among the state’s 12 public universities. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference.
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