Jayhawks with New Jobs in Sport — Thanksgiving 2017 Edition
By Dominique Kropp, KU Sport Management Doctoral Student
On Thanksgiving weekend with finals weeks approaching, we thought it would be an excellent time to provide some encouragement for our current students by featuring another excellent group of Sport Management Jayhawks with new jobs. As always, we are so proud to share their stories.
Ian Sadler
Assistant Athletic Director for Development
University of Tulsa
“I’m the new Assistant Athletic Director for Development at The University of Tulsa. My key responsibility is our annual fund, the Golden Hurricane Club (GHC). Our mission is to financially support the athletic and academic endeavors of all TU student-athletes by fostering growth of philanthropy from TU alumni, fans and friends who share our passion. GHC, through a strong and active membership, provides The University of Tulsa with critical funding to help meet the rising costs associated with operating a top collegiate athletics program.
The relationships built and the experience gained in my time as a student at the University of Kansas paved the way for this opportunity. In the College Athletics landscape, having a name like KU on your resume opens doors and brings value to your accomplishments and endeavors!”
Molly Mayer
Account Director
McWhorter Driscoll LLC.
“I am currently an Account Director for McWhorter Driscoll LLC. I previously worked in the marketing department at Villanova University, so I am trying something new- the agency world, the more corporate side of marketing. This jump for me, although it takes me out of my comfort zone of an athletic department, is allowing myself to gain a more diverse knowledge and a wider array of skills so that eventually I can take it back to a team or brand — collegiate or pro.
The second project I am working on is less sports but more in the entertainment side of the business and is the 2019 World Scout Jamboree. Scouting is a huge undertaking around the world with over 50 million scouts in 180 countries. The world organization that combines all scouts from America to Iran to Switzerland is the World Organization of the Scouting Movement(WOSM). Think of it like the IOC. Every 4 years WOSM hosts a World Jamboree bringing scouts from all 180 countries to partake in a 12-day scouting event with action and adventure and a huge concert etc. In 2019 the Jamboree is being hosted in West Virginia. As far as my part, I am a part of the project management team overseeing sponsorship sales, outside agency work, social and digital marketing and onsite activation for brands and run of show. As a company, we also work with the Georgia LEAD program that mentors the University of Georgia’s top student athletes. My bosses are profound mentors and we just published a textbook Take Charge for the University of Georgia.
Something I’ve found to be true in the athletics industry is skill is more transferable than title. Sport is a business just like any other industry and when going into an interview they want to know you have the skills to reach their objectives in new and innovative ways.”
James Kocen
Associate Account Executive
Nashville Predators
“I started with the Predators late last June as a Fan Development Representative (our equivalent of Inside Sales)for the Nashville Predators. Last month I was promoted to Associate Account Executive. My main role is to generate revenue selling our full menu of ticket and premium offerings for both the Predators and Bridgestone Arena concerts and events.
This past season was really special for us to go from being the last team into the playoffs to coming up just short in the Stanley Cup Final. It provided us a tremendous opportunity to get in front of a lot of people in town who might not have been hockey fans or didn’t know much about the sport and get them involved with us with one of our many offerings.”
Evan Butterfield
Client Sales and Services Associate
Seattle Mariners
“I started working for the Seattle Mariners in August as a Client Sales and Services Associate. I am basically responsible for generating new revenue as well as servicing current clients and fans. I know from doing job interviews to starting work in my current role, everyone knows KU. Probably the biggest advantage to any current SM student is we have a leg up on our competition with having a degree from KU.”
Anthony Rittof
Member Relations Specialist
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
“On November 27th, I will begin working with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) in Lawrence as Member Relations Specialist. I could not be more excited to get back into the golf industry (I interned with the Kansas Golf Association in Lawrence in 2014) and to work for an outstanding organization with great people. My responsibilities will include providing excellent service and assistance to the organization’s 17,000+ members, working to retain current members and recruit new members, serving as a representative of the GCSAA at career fairs and other events, and performing other key membership-related tasks.
I feel the knowledge gained from my time as a student in the KU Sport Management graduate program and the experiences I had during that time have prepared me to succeed in this new position, and I cannot wait to get started.”
Shelby Blankenbaker
Suite Services Coordinator
Kansas City Chiefs
“I recently got hired on as a Suite Services Coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs after functioning as the Suites and Hospitality intern for the Chiefs organization. My major responsibility is to manage the accounts of our clients and suite members. This includes maintaining current partnerships, ticket fulfillment, gifting and deliveries, suite presentation, entertainment tracking and catering. In this role, I also prepare and execute special events including game days, VIP gatherings, concerts, college football games, hospitality programs and all tasks pertaining current client services.
The transition from intern to full-time was putting myself in a position where the Chiefs needed me. I immersed myself in the culture and understood my role in the bigger picture. Rather than asking my supervisors what I could be doing every day, I found ways to make their jobs easier. I found areas of the position to own, so that they couldn’t let me go.”
Brian Friedman
Executive Director of Development
Washburn University Alumni Association
“I’m the Executive Director of Development at Washburn University Alumni Association and Foundation. I manage a team of development staff, that works closely with alumni and friends that are willing to provide philanthropic support to build a greater Washburn University”
When asked to offer some advice for those who may work in the sport industry in the future, Brian shared, “ Take advantage of every aspect of working in the sport industry — fan experience, marketing, ticket sales, business development. They are all applicable to other industries. Never turn down an opportunity to participate. Learning what you don’t like to do can be just as valuable as learning what you like to do.”
Beth Brittain
Customer Engagement Manager
Service Management Group
Beth works at a market research firm, Service Management Group, in Kansas City, with a focus of enhancing fan experience. In her work, she takes data and streamlines it back through partners utilizing a technology platform. For instance, in working with Chic Fil-A, Beth’s company will provide a survey on receipts to collect data from customers and provide a free sandwich for those who complete the survey. She will be working with sports teams to analyze who is buying their tickets as well as food and beverage services for sports teams. Beth emphasized, “Be consistent in everything you do. Every action has a purpose. Outperform yourself every day. You are your biggest competitor.”
Grady Millikan
Senior Data Management Specialist
University of Nebraska Lincoln
“I accepted a position as Senior Data Management Specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. My main focus is working with the Academic Services and Enrollment Management. We analyze student yield rates, scholarship info, ACT scores, etc. to get a better understanding of why students decide to enroll or not to enroll. I took this job as I enjoy working with data to identify where problems or opportunities may exist.”
Lee Johnson
Chief Executive Officer
USA Diving
Lee Johnson was named CEO of USA Diving in May 2017, and is responsible for leading the development and execution of USA Diving’s long and short term strategies. His leadership role also entails being ultimately responsible for all day-to-day management decisions. Lee explained, I have been looking forward to this type of opportunity for a long time, and am honored to join USA Diving on the front end of an Olympic quad. With 135 Olympic medals to date, USA Diving is built on a winning tradition and athletic achievement. I look forward to continuing this legacy of Olympic success through Tokyo and beyond.”
Patrick Stacy
Manager, Client Services
Kansas City Royals
“My biggest piece of advice for anyone looking to get into sports is to find a way to separate yourself from the crowd. As we know there are a finite number of teams, a finite number of jobs at those teams, yet there is no shortage of people looking to break into the sports industry.
When I left my first entry-level job there were literally hundreds of people who applied for the vacancy…you have to ask yourself: how do I make myself stand out? For me, that meant three internships, with the Chiefs, KU Athletics and Octagon Marketing. While I was in school I also worked game days at Arrowhead Stadium to stay close to the Chiefs organization, so that when a job opened up, I was a top-of-mind applicant.
I was never afraid to volunteer for events, tasks and odd-jobs, even if they were outside the scope of my regular job duties. I also took absolute ownership of things I was assigned to; doing that showed my managers that I was truly committed, unlike other interns in my class. It’s fairly obvious when someone doesn’t care that much or is there to simply “check the box” for a graduation requirement.
I also stayed current on the goings-on within the sports industry. That way I could speak intelligently on topics with my managers and their boss(es). You don’t have to be an expert on everything going on, but it helps to have a familiarity of the big things.”
